April 5, 2006 :: News
Iran recently tested a new “sonar-evading” underwater missile, which it claims is capable of traveling at 375 km per hour, three to four times faster than conventional torpedoes. General Ali Fadavi of the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said that “no vessel can escape from this missile,” which is known as “Hoot,” meaning whale. As usual, Western analysts are skeptical of Iran’s claims.
Radio Free Europe catalogues the various inconsistencies and contradictions that surround the alleged missile. Jason Alderwick of the International Institute for Security Studies in London studied video footage of the Hoot released by the Iranian government: “Certainly they seem to have undertaken some form of test, of some ‘missilized’ underwater projectile, but to go so far as to claim it is a credible, fully operational underwater missile I think is overstating [the matter] considerably,” he says. He points out that the best conventional torpedoes have a speed of approximately 110 km per hour: to get them to run at three or four times that speed through rocket power while remaining stealthy is unlikely. Another problem is range: launching an underwater missile at high speed through a dense substance like water means a large consumption of fuel. Although Iran did not specify the Hoot’s range, if its claims are true than the missile would only be useful when attacking ships at close range.
(Article)
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