Bill,
See the below attached article, it is
questionable that the Iranians have this technology and have been noted to make
wild technical claims previously when felt threatened. The Russians have had
this technology for some time. It took the US
10 years after they revealed it to the US for us to achieve a comparable
speed in a test tank. The Russian weapon is supposedly pretty volatile and a
test firing is believed to have lead to the lost of the Kursk a few years ago. This weapon can not
be hung on the outside of a sub as it takes a lot of maintenance.
Respectfully,
Jay K. Jeffries
Andros Is., Bahamas
Russia's Former
Black Sea Fleet Commander Says Iran's
New Torpedo 'A Bluff'
Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey WWW-Text
Tuesday, April 4, 2006
MOSCOW. April 4
(Interfax-AVN) - Ex-commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Admiral Eduard
Baltin said on Tuesday that Iran's
statement on developing the high-speed torpedo, boasting unrivalled
capabilities, was a bluff.
"First and foremost, even if we assume that
Iran
did develop such a weapon, it is worth reminding that the Shkval high-speed
torpedo has been in service with the Russian Navy for several decades. Thus,
the Iranian torpedo does have rivals," Baltin told Interfax-Military News
Agency, commenting on the statement of Iranian brass.
Secondly, Iran does not have production
facilities for manufacturing such a sophisticated weapon, even if it did
acquire the technology, he said.
At the same time, Baltin ruled out Russia's transferring a ready torpedo to Iran, saying
that own security was more important than any financial benefits.
In addition to that, he emphasized that the
Shkval torpedo is no longer a super-weapon, given several decades of its
service. "Indeed, Shkval has a speed of 200 knots (about 400 km/h) just
like the Iranian torpedo. However, Shkval has no target designation devices,
i.e. it is not a self-homing torpedo, besides, it leaves a trail, which makes
it easy to spot and destroy," Baltin said.
He said that Iran's
claiming to have developed a super-torpedo is aimed at delaying the U.S. decision
to deliver air strikes in order to develop its own nuclear weapons or provide
the minimal air defense to crucial facilities.
According to open sources, the 533-mm VA-111
Shkval torpedo is designed to destroy submarines, travelling at a speed of up
to 50 knots at a depth of up to 400 meters. It may be fitted with a nuclear
warhead.
(Description of Source: Moscow Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey WWW-Text in English
-- Internet news service devoted to military news and owned by the independent
Interfax news agency; website located at www.militarynews.ru)
--------------------------------------
For more translations and news on terrorism, visit
http://www.lauramansfield.com
or visit our forum at http://www.lauramansfield.com/forum/
Strategic Translations is a service provided by Laura Mansfield through http://www.lauramansfield.com
You may email Laura at laura@lauramansfield.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strategic Arabic Translations is a fee-based translation service
of LauraMansfield..com. For information on subscribing, please
see http://www.lauramansfield.com/ or email laura@lauramansfield.com
Archives of previous issues are available at
http://www.lauramansfield.com/archives.htm
Copyright 2005 LauraMansfield.com
This information is provided by PURE PURSUIT as a service to members of the
Military and Air Defense Community with the purpose of offering relevant and
timely information on (open source) defense, aviation, emergency, law
enforcement and terrorism issues. Posts may be forwarded to other
individuals, organizations and lists for non-commercial purposes. For new
subscriptions please go to www.purepursuitintelnetwork.com