CENTCOM Deploys New Sea Drones for the First Time Against Iranian Targets

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By Ward Clark

The Iranian leadership, or what's left of it, seems determined to channel the Duke of Wellington at Waterloo, who is said to have declared, "Hard pounding, this, gentlemen. Let's see who pounds longest." There's one key difference: Wellington won. There's no path to victory for Iran in this current business. Every missile, every speedboat, every drone they lose cannot be replaced. That's where they find themselves, with the Trump administration all too willing to keep turning the screws.

Late Sunday, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a press release detailing some targets hit in the overnight strikes against Iran, and in an interesting side note, mentioned that this latest round included the first use of sea drones.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) completed a new wave of offensive strikes against Iran, July 12, hitting dozens of targets at multiple locations with precision munitions to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international shipping flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM forces struck Iranian military air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats using U.S. fighter aircraft, naval vessels, one-way attack aerial drones, and one-way attack sea drones for the first time.

Then, on Monday, CENTCOM also released some footage of the new sea drones striking an Iranian shore installation.

The post reads:

Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran. Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations. Last night’s strikes degraded Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial shipping.

The Corsair sea drone is diesel-powered and reportedly has a range of over a thousand nautical miles, a top speed of over 35 knots, and a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds. This is the first time the sea drones have been used to hit targets like this. With a top speed of 35 knots, these wouldn't seem all that difficult to intercept with something as simple as a machine gun; the fact that they hit with seeming impunity speaks a lot for how degraded Iran's short defenses are already.

What's interesting here is the target list. CENTCOM points out that the purpose of the strikes is to degrade Iran's capacity to interfere with shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. These strikes will do that, but - and this is pure speculation - it also looks a lot like a target list one would want hit in preparation for putting boots on the ground. It's unlikely that the War Department or CENTCOM is planning any invasion, but President Trump has in the past hinted at seizing Kharg Island, a major bottleneck for Iranian oil shipments. That would slam the door on any further Iranian oil shipments.

As of this writing, there has been no indication from CENTCOM or the War Department regarding a possible 4th night of strikes, but the prospect isn't at all unlikely.

Original Here

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