Iran unveils squadrons of flying boats

Iran unveils squadrons of flying boats

news.blogs.cnn.com

Iran unveiled three squadrons of new flying boats on Tuesday, Iranian news agencies reported.

The craft, dubbed the Bavar 2, is armed with a machine gun and carries surveillance cameras, according to a report from the Iranian Student News Agency.

"Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the few countries which managed to design, build and use flying boats in a short time," said Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who oversaw the delivering of the aircraft at the Bandar Abbas naval facility on the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz.

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I don't even really know what to say to this because i'm too busy laughing my butt off.

They even brag about being the one of the few countries to build them. Well no kidding!!! No one else would waste money on such junk.

Better watch out america. LOL

What say you ATS, are these flying boats anything to worry about?

news.blogs.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

That is still freaking awesome.

Hey, at least they are trying to develop something (not nuclear) and that's more than many others in that neighborhood are doing.

you missed the point, yes the are fun to LOL,at but hard to see on radar, and then packed with, H.E. well i will let you think that one out.

Looks like some Soviet design from the early 1940's. Really.

Radar evading??? It must be constructed from twigs and canvas, if it is actually stealthy.

Look at the thing. A big engine sticking up out of the middle, and is rectilinear. Almost pleading for some radar waves to bounce straight back off of it.

Nice cockpit, wide open with high visibility. Like the 1930's. I wonder if the pilots wear goggles and a scarf?

reply to post by bekod


Neat little aircraft that could inflict quite a bit of damage by sneaking in under radar. The US scoffs at this? Why?

Apart from anything else they would sell masses of them for civilian use. Bigger is not always better. Try sending one of your missiles against this - you would miss. Very little radar signature, very small heat signature. They can certainly out manoeuvre any jet at low level. Yes a very good match for the US and it's armaments. I have always maintained there is a good case for a squadron of Spitfires.

reply to post by butcherguy


Radar evading by flying too low to be detected. Of course it is not stealth, but try picking that signature out from wave tops.

Originally posted by PuterMan
reply to post by bekod

 

Neat little aircraft that could inflict quite a bit of damage by sneaking in under radar. The US scoffs at this? Why?

Apart from anything else they would sell masses of them for civilian use. Bigger is not always better. Try sending one of your missiles against this - you would miss. Very little radar signature, very small heat signature. They can certainly out manoeuvre any jet at low level. Yes a very good match for the US and it's armaments. I have always maintained there is a good case for a squadron of Spitfires.

Why would you shoot a missle at it? You can stick a few helicopeters on overwatch and most likely see these things coming from a long ways away. Infrared would be able to pick out the boat even if radar wouldn't be that effective. If you can pick up people in an Apache a few clicks away you can pick these out in the open ocean. And you won't need a missle either; just come 30mm from the main gun.

Those are effin sweet!

Yes, America has something to worry about, if our rich people ever get wind of one of those instead of a normal jetski we would start sending vast amounts of money to Iran for them.

I want one with or without the machine gun. How much?

reply to post by PuterMan
That is obviously the best they can do, riding the waves, but it is not good enough.

Tankers off Somalia now use radar to avoid or prepare for pirates that use wooden speedboats in hopes of evading radar. The radar is good enough to see the wake created by the pirates speedboat, even though the wooden boats are largely transparent to radar.

reply to post by PuterMan

Radar evading by flying too low to be detected. Of course it is not stealth, but try picking that signature out from wave tops.

BTW, if that big, boxy radar reflecting engine gets down low enough to mix with the signature of the waves, it will be a non'flying submarine.

The point being that they can probably manufacture 100 such flying boats for the same price USA makes one carrier launched assault fighter. They might be armed with a machine gun, but nothing prevents Iran from adding additional weaponry. Or how about packing one with remote control and high explosives?

No-one says usa has some of the best military technology out there, but in war quantity quickly overpowers quality. And no-one has nowhere near as expensive military technology as usa.

reply to post by bekod


Yeah but seriously come on dude they look like a carnival ride, BTW the open cockpit means 10,000 13,000 feet is the max alt, they cant go that high for long maybe 45 minutes tops before the pilot passes out. Not to mention it's equipped with a machine gun...to fight against heavily armored heavily armed air and sea craft. And looking at that overly loud peewee engine I'd give it range of less than 200 miles counting return trip. From the video you can see its virtually useless at low alt as well as it bounces around from the winds above the sea. All in all it looks useless . But with work and if it we're built by the Americans,Brits,Germans or Russians it would see some use.....if this were ww2 lol. Hey Iran 1937 called...they want there science fiction back.

Originally posted by above
The point being that they can probably manufacture 100 such flying boats for the same price USA makes one carrier launched assault fighter. They might be armed with a machine gun, but nothing prevents Iran from adding additional weaponry. Or how about packing one with remote control and high explosives?

No-one says usa has some of the best military technology out there, but in war quantity quickly overpowers quality. And no-one has nowhere near as expensive military technology as usa.

Why does everyone assume that there is just one aircraft carrier sitting alone, floating in the ocean? These things bring entire battle groups of crusiers, battleships, etc with them with they go out. So yes you can have thousands of swarming balsa wood boats, but doubtful if they will be effective.

Now there were used effectively in a wargame where a marine general played OPFOR against a US Naval group. The simulated showed that these boats would be very effective. However, it was also a simulation. The most deadly thing in another was two guys on a motor cycle with an RPG. Apparently they could kill three APCs easily, and you couldn't catch them. Would it work in real life? Maybe. But most likely you'd just get shot.

reply to post by Awory


They'll have sharks with lazers on their head soon. Just watch.

reply to post by above


It's apparent it cant carry a heavy load thats why it only carries a machine gun and it's slow it operates on a prop just like in ww1, The Red Baron could cause more havoc in his bi plane.

reply to post by Awory


As a matter of interest do the US have sea borne Apache choppers?

I still think these would be like annoying flies!

reply to post by Awory


Really? Equip these flying boats with ONE advanced torpedo, and you have serious trouble spelled out for even the biggest naval units USA has developed. Of course these won't be going up against battleships or aircraft carriers. But i can assure you that people onboard a battleship will # their pants if suddenly there are 10 torpedoes heading their way. That would probably be something in the range of a 100000:1 cost-cost ratio in favor for Iran.

Do not underestimate "old technology". The "terrorists" USA is up against in their neverending wars are doing quite well, and they have almost literally NO technology at their disposal.

reply to post by above


And I think you are underestimating new technology. These duck-fighters are nothing that a Type 45 Destroyer can't handle with the crew drunk playing tiddlywinks at the same time.

I don't think they are meant to be meaty or intimidating, theses area fast attack vehicle, hit and run or fast deployment and mobility. Very useful for all kinds of operations.