Iranian forward base / helicopter / UAV carriers.

Looking at the picture,
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/data/attachments/294/294447-1622f103293e43e3408e07308114f5f4.jpg
For some (optical and perspective) reasons, I can't unsee the flight deck as undulating - as if there was a depression between the island and the ski jump.
Put otherwise: near the island the deck is level, then there is a "slump" downwards before the ski jump rising.

A very weird feeling, as if the deck was made of molten chocolate or plastic. Must be that Persian gulf hell of climate.
 
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I've seen a lot of online chatter mocking this design as if it's intended to go toe to toe with USN CVNs, which it obviously isn't. Iran is playing to it's strengths and the intent to have Bagheri help with force projection is pretty clear- this reminds me of USS Bogue, in some ways. I'm not sure of whether Iran has the industry to be able to build purpose-built drone carrier (CD?) designs of this size, but I could definitely see a navy such as the VMF investing in smaller drone carrying flat tops given the lessons learned in the conflicts over the past several years.
 
awhalen61 said:
I've seen a lot of online chatter mocking this design as if it's intended to go toe to toe with USN CVNs, which it obviously isn't. Iran is playing to it's strengths and the intent to have Bagheri help with force projection is pretty clear- this reminds me of USS Bogue, in some ways. I'm not sure of whether Iran has the industry to be able to build purpose-built drone carrier (CD?) designs of this size, but I could definitely see a navy such as the VMF investing in smaller drone carrying flat tops given the lessons learned in the conflicts over the past several years.
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Most people lack critical thinking skills, so when you combine that with nationalism you get really dumb takes like “huh, out super carriers would kill that piece of junk!”
 
awhalen61 said:
I'm not sure of whether Iran has the industry to be able to build purpose-built drone carrier (CD?) designs of this size
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In theory they could build hulls of this size; Iranian civilian shipbuilding constructed container ships ar least 30.000 tons deadweight. But building a large warship is more complex, due to much higher hull strength demands, much greater compartmentalization, ect. Considering that Iran have no previous experience, I doubt that they would start building large warships anytime soon.
 
awhalen61 said:
but I could definitely see a navy such as the VMF investing in smaller drone carrying flat tops given the lessons learned in the conflicts over the past several years.
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Agreed, the Iranian experiment is of significant interest. For small navies it's a demonstration, how they could significantly improve their blue water capabilities & strike potential for the reasonable price. For large navies, it's a valuable lesson of producing auxilary warships out of civilian hulls, capable to perform a secondary roles. I suspect there might be a lot of interest now in "container vessel to drone carrier conversion packages"
 
Well its ARAPAHO for the UAV age. It's probably quite optimal for littoral operations and given its size it would take a reasonable effort to actually sink it (which is not the same as crippling it operationally). I'm not sure how good it would be in open waters, say in an Indian Ocean in a storm.
The Chinese mini UAV carrier is perhaps more a sign of how compact these vessels could be, and its clear that with SSMs and speedboats etc. the Iranian philosophy is more of multi-purpose sea denial. It probably lacks the kind of defensive capability required to protect itself as a high value asset.
It would be wrong to sniff at such conversions, most Western navies would probably over gold-plate the conversion, but there may be a time when they look like cost effective force multipliers.
 
Alex Hollings from Sandboxx has put out a video about Iran's "New" carrier and how the USAF could sink this carrier with a single bomb, the Quicksink JDAM (Starting at about 11:00 in the video:


Iran made a splash in the international media last week by unveiling the nation’s first drone aircraft carrier, the Shahid Bagheri, in what could be a big boost in force projection capabilities for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps… at least, as long as the U.S. military decides to allow it to exist
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I loved this comment from the video:

So just a barge with a skateboard ramp at the end is now considered the pinnacle of naval warfare?
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Anyway in any serious armed confrontation between this "Carrier" and the USN, USAF or other major western military power the ship won't be floating for long given that it was converted from a container ship.
 
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NMaude said:
Alex Hollings from Sandboxx has put out a video about Iran's "New" carrier and how the USAF could sink this carrier with a single bomb, the Quicksand JDAM (Starting at about 11:00 in the video:




I loved this comment from the video:



Anyway in any serious armed confrontation between this "Carrier" and the USN, USAF or other major western military power the ship won't be floating for long given that it was converted from a container ship.
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Thank you for providing a perfect example of what i was talking about earlier in the thread.
awhalen61 said:
I've seen a lot of online chatter mocking this design as if it's intended to go toe to toe with USN CVNs, which it obviously isn't. Iran is playing to it's strengths and the intent to have Bagheri help with force projection is pretty clear- this reminds me of USS Bogue, in some ways.
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While a design of questionable usefulness in most hypothetical conflict scenarios for Iran, this vessel certainly has some interesting armaments beyond the flight deck:

C110-4 Shahid Bahman Bagheri unveiling (2025-2) 4.jpg

C110-4 Shahid Bahman Bagheri unveiling (2025-2) 5.jpg

1) 30mm Cannon, identical to the one fitted to the FS313-class corvettes also operated by the IRGCN. Presumably 2A42-based given Iran's familiarity with this design in other domestic projects.
2) 4x pairs of Kowsar-222 SAMs (claimed range is ~15km) installed at each corner of the vessel's deck / IR-guided based on the appearance of seeker.
3) 8x AshM Launchers (likely C-802/Noors based on appearance) located behind the superstructure / Notably, no Fire Control Radar appears to be installed...
4) At least 4x Gatling guns (20 or 23mm) similar to those fitted to FS313-class corvettes, co-located with Kowsar-222 SAMs.

IF there is a half-decent command system connecting all this kit, it's honestly a decent defensive suite given the vessel's civilian design.
 

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awhalen61 said:
Thank you for providing a perfect example of what i was talking about earlier in the thread.
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Are you serious?

We all know that quicksink is not intended to attack protected targets... are we going to put a B-2 or F-35 almost vertically over the ship? I'm the one asking... do you think there is no Iranian anti-aircraft material for at least, let's say, this type of attack?

I really enjoy it or sometimes get annoyed when I remember the kids making fun of Chinese equipment... but nowadays... they've stopped a bit... why is that?
 
Arman_Missile_System.jpg


Would this type of ship have difficulty carrying the Sayad-3F?
 
carvalho2008 said:
I really enjoy it or sometimes get annoyed when I remember the kids making fun of Chinese equipment... but nowadays... they've stopped a bit... why is that?
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You're right about China. Even US mighty power had humble origins and hard times before the present times.
Who knows about a future Iran, History offers many surprises, but honestly hard to compare with the Chinese evolution. Time will tell.
 
Hood said:
its clear that with SSMs and speedboats etc. the Iranian philosophy is more of multi-purpose sea denial. It probably lacks the kind of defensive capability required to protect itself as a high value asset.
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It might manage sea denial in a strait, but in open water I think it's screwed by the lack of long range sensors, and most naval vessels can handily outpace it's 22 knots..

I think we're looking at a more capable version of previous vessels deployed off Yemen for the purpose of supporting IRGC aid to the Houthis or similar. Similar to a US Expeditionary Support Base, but with the intent of causing trouble for anyone the Iranian government doesn't like. It's something that can manage provocation, but the instant someone decides it's too annoying to be allowed to survive, it's in trouble.
 
DWG said:
It might manage sea denial in a strait, but in open water I think it's screwed by the lack of long range sensors, and most naval vessels can handily outpace it's 22 knots..

I think we're looking at a more capable version of previous vessels deployed off Yemen for the purpose of supporting IRGC aid to the Houthis or similar. Similar to a US Expeditionary Support Base, but with the intent of causing trouble for anyone the Iranian government doesn't like. It's something that can manage provocation, but the instant someone decides it's too annoying to be allowed to survive, it's in trouble.
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In a way. It's protected from "accidents" only. There is no way Iran can create a survivable CSG, nor there is any point doing that.
Accidents that can overcome its defenses are simple to create, but they're attributable.
 
Ainen said:
Accidents that can overcome its defenses are simple to create, but they're attributable.
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Attibutable is not the same as usefully provable. Everyone presumes Israel was responsible for the attack on the MV Saviz, the precursor to the Shahid Bahman Bahevri, but it's not really provable.
 
DWG said:
Attibutable is not the same as usefully provable. Everyone presumes Israel was responsible for the attack on the MV Saviz, the precursor to the Shahid Bahman Bahevri, but it's not really provable.
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Not like they're going to court with it.
Who cares about proofs in this region.
 
As it is, the Shahid Begheri is more like a modern version of WWII CAM, catapult armed merchantman, But with ski jump instead of catapult, and merchantman aspect degraded to virtually zero. It can not be considered to have risen to the level of a modern day escort carrier.

I think Iranian’s level of confidence in their own ability to fabricate the hull and structures of a real naval aircraft carrier can be discerned in the fact that they apparently didn’t feel up to remodeling the superstructure of the Shahid Bagheri, Despite the fact that the original blocky superstructure of the container ship so close to the axis angle deck doubtless present a menace to flight operation. In fact that didn’t even remove the now pointless bridge wing, normally used for docking, that hangs over the angle deck.

Also, they didn’t fair in the support under the angled deck. This makes the angle deck susceptible to damage in any heavy sea. This is likely to mimimise the weight of the new addition because the original hull girders were probably not reinforced to support the weight. Again this is an indication of timidity in reworking unsuitable structures.

One would think slightly more confidence would see Iran raze the ship’s original superstructure, build an axial flight along the length of the hull, perhaps slightly offset to the port side, fabricating a new starboard side island for smoke uptake and command and control, and fill in the original container holds with something like a hangar maintenance space connected to the new flight deck with an elevator. Then at least it could be said to have made a proper modern day version of escort carrier.
 
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chuck4 said:
It would be more impressive if the arsenal is integrated with the ship’s structure and supported by appropriate sensors, instead of carried like deck cargo.
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That probably would be wasteful for a ship that won't survive first minutes of any armed conflict.
Another explanation(rather likely) is that it's still attempt to get the feel of it(basically derisking) without too much investment.
USS Langley wasn't exactly a thorough carrier either - and quite a few of its best lessons for US Navair were exactly because it was so....austere.
 
DWG said:
https://aviationweek.com/defense/bu...-struck-iranian-drone-carrier-first-hours-war
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U.S. forces struck an Iranian aircraft carrier for drones in the first hours of the war on Feb. 28, U.S. Central Command said on March 2, making the IRIS Shahid Bagheri one of the most high-profile targets acknowledged so far.

Central Command announced the strike in a social media post that disputed “false messaging” by Iran that a U.S. aircraft carrier had been sunk.

“The only carrier that has been hit is the Shahid Bagheri, an Iranian drone carrier. U.S. forces struck the ship within hours of launching Operation Epic Fury,” the Central Command post on X.com says.

The statement makes the Shahid Bagheri the only named target among nine Iranian naval vessels struck so far by U.S. forces, Central Command said.


The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy created the Shahid Bagheri by converting the former Perarin container ship.

“With a length of 787 feet and a takeoff runway of approximately 570 feet, the Shahid Bagheri is well-equipped to support a variety of Iranian drones, including loitering munitions,” Can Kasapglu, a nonresident senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, wrote in a year-old analysis shortly after the IRGC unveiled the converted ship.

Iran has made a practice of converting container ships into IRGC navy vessels. The former Sarvin container ship was converted into a floating missile platform named the IRIS Shahid Mahdavi. The Iranian navy also fields the Makran, a former crude oil tanker, as a helicopter carrier. The Shahid Roudaki also functions as a drone and missile launch platform, having been converted from a container ship, Kasapglu wrote.

On Feb. 28, Central Command posted an image of a U.S. Navy destroyer launching the maritime strike version of the Raytheon Tomahawk anti-ship missile, but did not identify its target. Eliminating the Iranian navy was singled out as one of several main objectives of the operation by President Donald Trump on the same day.
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