U.S. and Iranian Strategic Competition pt 1 of 2

Page 143

Cordesman/Wilner, Iran & The Gulf Military Balance Rev 3

AHC 2/29/12

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 2 Hendijan support ships  Various speedboats As of January 16, 2010, the following assets have been observed at the naval academy (28°53'47.19"N, 50°51'3.96"E):  1 unidentified midget submarine (23 m)  2 unidentified midget submarines ( 17 m & 13 m)  3 probably Al Sabehat 15 SDVs  1 hover craft  Various other small craft o

Asalouyeh (27°27'21.08"N, 52°38'15.55"E  Inaugurated in 2008, this base is a recent addition to Iran’s naval facilities. According to IRGCN Admiral Morteza Saffari, the base would house torpedo boats, FACs, shore-based anti-ship missiles, and possibly IPS-series patrol boats and Thondar FACs.

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Bandar-e Abbas (Naval base: 27° 8'35.79"N, 56°12'45.61"E; IRGCN missile boat base: 27° 8'30.91"N, 56°12'5.58"E; IRGCN torpedo & MLRS boat base: 27° 8'21.13"N, 56°11'53.28"E; Hovercraft base and nearby naval air strip: 27° 9'15.68"N, 56° 9'49.97"E) 

Bandar-e Abbas has been the headquarters of the Iranian navy since 1977, and is located in the Strait of Hormuz itself. It is Iran’s largest and most important naval base, as well as the home of the majority of Iran’s submarines fleet, naval aviation assets, and hovercraft. Moreover, it also the home of Shahid Darvishi shipbuilders, which produces a large number of Iranian naval assets, including submersibles, landing craft, and tugboats. As of June 29, 2009, observable assets of the base include the following:  1 Bandar Abbas support ship  A number of unknown support ships  1 Jamaran (Mouj) frigate  1 Alvand frigate  3 Thondar missile boats  2 IPS-16  4 IPS-18  31+ speedboats

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Jask (25°40'40.90"N, 57°51'4.54"E)  IRGC base located approximately 150 km to the east of the Straits of Hormuz. It is suspected to house Ghadir midget submarines, as well as F-27 maritime patrol craft.

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Bostanu (27° 2'58.22"N, 55°59'3.22"E)  Recently-established IRGCN FAC and midget submarine base. It is known to house ship repair and building facilities. Located approximately 25 km to the west of Bandar-e Abbas

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Chabahar  IRGCN base. It is the farthest east of all of Iran’s military port facilities.

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Qeshm (26°43'10.09"N, 55°58'30.94"E)  IRGC base. Suspected to house midget submarines and is suspected to house a large number of coastal anti-ship ballistic missile bunkers. As of December 21, 2003, observable assets at the base include the following:  34+ speedboats

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Sirri Island (25°53'40.20"N, 54°33'7.82"E)

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Abu Musa (25°52'22.32"N, 55° 0'38.62"E)

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