Article

2007-04-18 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran: Declares itself to have the strongest military in the world!

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Posted by Sherry 2007-04-18 11:23|| || Front Page|| [7 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Links to itself. Need a link to the actual article.

Posted by Jonathan">Jonathan 2007-04-18 11:27|| 2007-04-18 11:27|| Front Page Top

#2 Hey mods, I accidently press ENTER much, much too soon. Didn't realize it posted -- the real one is probably on Americans roadside! Thanks

Posted by Sherry">Sherry 2007-04-18 11:30|| 2007-04-18 11:30|| Front Page Top

#3 And my hair will grow back all by itself and Sandra Bullock wants me.

Posted by Deacon Blues 2007-04-18 11:36|| 2007-04-18 11:36|| Front Page Top

#4 I declare that I am the best looking man in the world!

Posted by Cyber Sarge 2007-04-18 11:39|| 2007-04-18 11:39|| Front Page Top

#5 My penis pills are guaranteed to add at least three inches!

Posted by Excalibur 2007-04-18 11:43|| 2007-04-18 11:43|| Front Page Top

#6 Well, let's analyze. So far, they've defeated the US in 1979, the British Navy in 2007, and held Saddam to a standstill. I'd say they have a claim.

Posted by doc 2007-04-18 11:46|| 2007-04-18 11:46|| Front Page Top

#7 Wanna test that theory, chuckles?

Posted by DarthVader">DarthVader 2007-04-18 11:48|| 2007-04-18 11:48|| Front Page Top

#8 Well, If you count their army, plus the 12th Imam, plus devine intervention (on their side), maybe they have a case.

Al

Posted by Frozen Al 2007-04-18 12:10|| 2007-04-18 12:10|| Front Page Top

#9 About damn time for them to start having unexplained and catastrophic submarine accidents, even in port.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-04-18 12:21|| 2007-04-18 12:21|| Front Page Top

#10 They could be a serious threat if they manage to construct an Allan Bomb.

Posted by Sonar 2007-04-18 12:22|| 2007-04-18 12:22|| Front Page Top

#11 Tried to post this in Opinion but it wouldn't go...

Cartoonish Self-Sufficiency

At times, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad looks (and acts) like someone ready for his own show on Cartoon Network (Mahmoud, Mahmoudd & Mahmoudy? The Terrorist Adventures of Little Hitler and the Supreme Leader?). From his goofy appearance to his outlandish pronouncements, Ahmadinejad often resembles something from the storyboards of Danny Antonucci, Maxwell Atoms, or Craig McCracken. But alas, Iran's best-known cartoon figure is very real, and very determined to acquire nuclear weapons. So his rantings can't be totally dismissed.

But they can be quantified and deflated, as require. Consider Ahmadinejad's recent announcement that his army has attained "self-sufficiency," and boasts that recent U.N. sanctions have no affect on the Iranian armed services. As proof of this, the stenographers at the Associated Press obligingly published Ahmadeinjad's claims, and supposed examples of an expanding arms industry:

"Since 1992, it has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles and a fighter plane. It announced in 2005 that it had begun production of torpedoes."

But that doesn't mean the stuff is any good, or that Tehran has actually achieved self-sufficiency in military production. In fact, a closer examination reveals that the Iranian claim is full of holes, but you wouldn't know that by reading the AP dispatch.

We'll begin with that Iranian "fighter plane," nicknamed "Saegheh," the Farsi word for "thunderbolt." As we observed last September, this "new" fighter is nothing more than a re-manufactured U.S. F-5, which has been in the Iranian inventory for more than 30 years. Aside from a second vertical stabilizer (and a slightly expanded nose cone), it appears to have little in the way of new features and capabilities; it is certainly not a match for U.S. F-16s or F-18s, as Tehran boasted last September. Given its modest performance (in comparison to fourth and fifth-generation western jets), we suggested that a better name might be the Farsi term for "target."

Additionally, Iran shows no signs that it will mass-produce the Saegheh. That means that aging, U.S.-built F-4 Phantom IIs and F-14 Tomcats will remain the backbone of Tehran's fighter fleet, at least for the near term. At last count, the Iranian Air Force had only 30 "operational" Phantoms, and only a half-dozen F-14s that were flyable. Making matters worse, there are indications that none of the Tomcats have a functional air-intercept radar (used for tracking and engaging enemy aircraft), and none of their long-range Phoenix missiles work, either. If Iran was truly self-sufficient, you'd think they would have found a way to keep more of their fighters in the air.

And similar problems exist among Tehran's other, foreign-produced aircraft, including the MiG-29 Fulcrum (made in Russia), and the Chinese-manufactured F-7 (a copy of the MiG-21 Fishbed). Mission-capability rates among both jets remain dismally low, despite the supposed availability of Russian and Chinese advisers, spare parts, and good, old-fashioned Iranian "know-how." So much for self-sufficiency, at least in the skies.

Iran's missile program is a cause for greater concern. Thanks largely to North Korea, Tehran has a growing arsenal of short, medium and intermediate-range missiles, along with various models of battlefield rockets. But the accuracy of these systems leaves much to be desired; one reason that Iran is actively pursuing WMD is because its current missiles (and rockets) are incapable of precision strikes with conventional munitions. Tehran's crowning achievement in missile technology (the medium-range Shahab-3) is essentially an extended range SCUD, with a CEP of three kilometers or more at long range. And all of Iran's existing missile systems are vulnerable to intercept by ballistic missile defenses in the region, reducing their potential effectiveness. Iran could probably sustain some semblance of the current program without outside assistance, but improving range and accuracy will still require foreign expertise.

Readers may also recall that Iran's "advanced" high-speed torpedo (also mentioned in the AP article) is largely based on a World War II-era Russian design. If you've watched a classic submarine movie like Run Silent, Run Deep, you've got the idea. For the torpedo to work, you've got to develop a primitive firing "solution," then hope the target doesn't maneuver or dispense counter-measures. Against a modern warship, employing existing ASW measures, the Iranian torpedo is anything but a world-beater.

In the air defense arena, Iran can perform limited maintenance on its I-HAWK system, acquired from the U.S. in the 1970s. But the number of available missiles, launchers and support equipment have declined steadily in recent years, reflecting the problems associated with an aging system--and the Iran's modest ability to keep the system in service. Similar problems exist among Tehran's other "legacy" air defense systems, the Russian-made SA-5 and the Chinese-produced CSA-1. Iran probably has higher in-service rates for its newer SAMs, including the SA-6 and SA-15, the product of Russian contractor support that came with those arms sales. But those missiles are limited in number; the I-HAWK remains the backbone of Tehran's air defense network, and the system is hardly a sterling example of Iranian self-sufficiency.

As for the ground equipment, Iranian-produced main battle tanks (Zulfiqr 1/2/3, Safir 74) are either copies of existing designs (the Safir is a duplicate of the China Type 59 tank, which in turn was copied from the Soviet T-54/55 series), or a blend of older western and Russian designs. The Zulfiqr, for example, blends technology from U.S. M-48 and M-60 tanks (dating from the 1950s and 60s), along with components from the Russian T-72. Hardly a match for the U.S. M-1 Abrams, or Russia's T-80 for that matter.

Still, the Iranians derive some benefit from these claims. From the hardware perspective, these programs provide a starting point--a potential springboard for building better systems somewhere down the road, with continued external assistance. From a propaganda standpoint --Ahmadinejad's real aim--the boast reinforces perceptions of Iran's growing military power, and raises concerns about the potential "cost" of a military conflict with Tehran. And, as we've noted on many occasions, the Iranian president's wild assertions go virtually unchallenged by the western press. So, from his vantage point, it makes perfect sense to continue the propaganda game, offering cartoonish claims about growing military power and self-sufficiency that have only a marginal basis in fact.

http://formerspook.blogspot.com/

Posted by tu3031 2007-04-18 12:50|| 2007-04-18 12:50|| Front Page Top

#12 Kinda' like the "Mother of All Battles" in Gulf War One. Guffaw.

Where's Bangkok Bob? Sign him up!

Posted by Lone Ranger 2007-04-18 12:52|| 2007-04-18 12:52|| Front Page Top

#13 "General says enemy not powerful enough to attack Iran.".........I believe the Japanese said something similar to this during World War II.

Posted by Flomoter Ulolush5791 2007-04-18 12:54|| 2007-04-18 12:54|| Front Page Top

#14 It is strange that their, Iranian, latest domestic produced assault rifle is a copy of Vietnam era M-16A1. M-16A1 is considered unreliable and replaced by M-16A2 long ago. Who would want to have a rifle like that ?

And it is very kind of Iranians let navies of other countries to hold exercises in the waters under their control, like US and British Navy. They are not only the strongest ones, but most hospitable, too.

DG

Posted by Trenchsol">Trenchsol 2007-04-18 13:24|| 2007-04-18 13:24|| Front Page Top

#15 One word:

Salamis.

Few more words:

The next time... the fire may be a bottled sunshine.

Posted by twobyfour 2007-04-18 13:52|| 2007-04-18 13:52|| Front Page Top

#16 With its religious democracy and anti-hegemonistic character

If Ahmadinejad's head doesn't explode while uttering such outright lies, we need to make arrangements for it to do so. This guy makes Baghdad Bob look like a truthsayer.

#11 As proof of this, the stenographers at the Associated Press obligingly published Ahmadeinjad's claims, and supposed examples of an expanding arms industry

This shit's gotta stop. AP = Pravda

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-04-18 13:56|| 2007-04-18 13:56|| Front Page Top

#17 The Iranians are the strongest when the other side has no will. The North Vietnamese were beaten like a drum but old battleground tour groups can be booked through the Ho Chi Minh office of tourism.

Posted by ed 2007-04-18 14:19|| 2007-04-18 14:19|| Front Page Top

#18 "Can it be, they really, really do believe what they are saying? Or, is lying, boasting just a way of life?"

Yes.

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2007-04-18 14:26|| http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/]">[http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/] 2007-04-18 14:26|| Front Page Top

#19 With that kind of confidence, now would definitely be the best time to get into a fight with them! :-)

Posted by gorb 2007-04-18 14:39|| 2007-04-18 14:39|| Front Page Top

#20 Oh, yeah? Once I get out of my well, I crush all the infidels!!!! Can someone please get me a rope? It is very dark in here....

Posted by The Twelfth Imam 2007-04-18 15:20|| 2007-04-18 15:20|| Front Page Top

#21 The Islamic Republic established an innovative sociopolitical system based on religion

That's why I SO need to go visit with Mahmoud! And I have a number of lovely scarves in my repertoire I have yet to wear in public!

Posted by Nancy Pelosi 2007-04-18 15:32|| 2007-04-18 15:32|| Front Page Top

#22 tu-

Re: the comments you posted about the Iranian F-14 fleet - at least one confirmed pic has made it out showing an Iranian Tomcat with a single I-HAWK strapped under the right wing. If this is actually an attempt to get a long-range missile on the Iranian birds, it's not impossible - but on the other hand, it's going to kill every crew that tries to launch it. When that beast lets go, the exhaust alone will hit the 'Cat like a ton of bricks - right before it's ingested into the engines and causes a flameout.
This is the true state of the Islamic Republic's military science - the same as that of their spiritual forefathers, Nazi Germany, towards the end. No idea is too wild, no demand for 'wonder weapons' from terrified leaders too insane. They know what is coming, because they had ringside seats twice. They understand what the rest of the world doesn't - that in OIF, we took out an army that was still in terms of numbers in the top 20 with force that was not only smaller but was literally fighting with one hand tied behind it's back. They will say anything and make any claim to try to convince their own people that they can't be beaten...but the mullahs know better.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2007-04-18 16:11|| 2007-04-18 16:11|| Front Page Top

#23 The Islamic Republic established an innovative sociopathic system based on religion.

Fixed it for ya.

Posted by DMFD 2007-04-18 21:00|| 2007-04-18 21:00|| Front Page Top

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