Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

US- and Greek-owned tankers ablaze after Iran claims 'underwater drone' strike

lloydslist.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

231–240 of 316 posts

Re: US- and Greek-owned tankers ablaze after Iran claims 'underwater drone' strike

#231

Post by SideburnsOfDoom »

RobotToaster wrote: post #147
yxhuvud wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm actually somewhat surprised Iran is openly telling us they are using underwater drones for this. That piece of technological advance has gone mostly under the radar (!) so far.

What defense is there against something like this? AFAIK only a few US aircraft carriers are equipped with anti torpedo torpedoes, and one of those sitting in the straight would be pretty vulnerable. Of course that could be the entire idea.

The calculation is that of course there are defences, but if you have a big stockpile of $20K drones, and your opponent has a limited number of $2mil drone interceptors, then you can keep throwing drones and keeping your opponent busy there, and you're coming out ahead even before one finally gets through.

See: https://bsky.app/profile/mekka.mekka-tech.com/post/3mgrvx5gr...

Re: US- and Greek-owned tankers ablaze after Iran claims 'underwater drone' strike

#233

Post by bigyabai »

cyberax wrote: post #227
bigyabai wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not impossible. Iran has connections with China, who is great at designing and manufacturing UUVs. That said, a UUV fleet would have downsides for Iran. It's expensive, dependent on imports and an overmatch for swarm-style attacks. Attack boats are a closer fit for the "cheap/attritable" tactics we see used with Shaheds.

I think you're overestimating the complexity of small unmanned subs. Drug traffickers are building _manned_ subs now in South American jungles. You just need a body (plastic tube), batteries, motors, and a computer. Maybe with a "range extender" gas engine. Everything can be COTS, and Iran certainly can manufacture occasional custom components. After all, it can manufacture centrifuges for uranium enrichment.

Maybe! Most of those unmanned narcosubs are cut-down speedboats hulls, to my knowledge. The truly watertight/submerged ones are few and far between; it's a lot of investment for marginal decrease in observability.

My money is still on low-observable attack craft, or a high-low mix that deprioritizes submersibles. Iran has an impressive panopoly but also has casus belli to lie out their nose. If Iran does have fully submersable UUVs, I'd expect them to be saved for a direct confrontation with the US Navy, not tankers.

I could definitely be wrong though, I don't have any insider info to work with here.

Re: US- and Greek-owned tankers ablaze after Iran claims 'underwater drone' strike

#234

Post by lamontcg »

malfist wrote: post #210
bryanlarsen wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Federal government has some direct control and lots of indirect control. Relevant right now is the horrible Save America act.

It doesn't. This is a power specifically granted to states. The Save America act is unconstitutional.

More than half the SCOTUS is corrupt and bought off, and the Republican Party in congress is just rubber-stamping what Trump wants. I don't have a lot of faith in the word "unconstitutional" anymore.

Re: US- and Greek-owned tankers ablaze after Iran claims 'underwater drone' strike

#235

Post by Eddy_Viscosity2 »

data-ottawa wrote: post #215
sys32768 wrote: post #34

An Iraqi security source said they think it was an Iranian boat rigged with explosives. If Iran does have underwater explosive drones, why would they boast about it and invite attacks upon that weapon and its deployment systems?

Iran has two clear win conditions in this war: cause enough pain that the US withdraws (unlikely given the current admin), or wait until US midterms and hope the Dems secure a victory and use the war powers resolution to end the war. The more FUD they can generate around transport in the strait of Hermuz the better for them. Maybe they have this capability and maybe they don’t, but they are clearly able to hit these…

This admin does TACO all the time. A likely scenario is Iran causes economic problems, Trump chickens out and withdraws while simultaneously declaring absolute victory. Any lingering problems he blames on Rubio and hegseth.

Re: US- and Greek-owned tankers ablaze after Iran claims 'underwater drone' strike

#236

Post by SideburnsOfDoom »

NetMageSCW wrote: post #195
readthenotes1 wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they have one, First they start by replacing the Supreme Court with their own minions. Start to worry of the Republicans start talking about expanding the Supreme Court to add their own to it

That play already showed its limits with the tariff decision. They can’t stuff the Supreme Court with followers.

> They can’t stuff the Supreme Court with followers.

Can't? They already did.

Re: US- and Greek-owned tankers ablaze after Iran claims 'underwater drone' strike

#237

Post by pibaker »

epistasis wrote: post #60
VK-pro wrote: post #7

One of the self-owns of all time. Triggering a global supply chain crisis right before midterms is bottom of the barrel strategy. But then again, who expects competency from any recent American administration, most especially this one?

The Biden administration was actually extremely competent, handled global inflation after the pandemic and Russia's war fairly well relative to peer nations, and set US manufacturing on course to provide us with all the batteries, solar panels, and EVs to prevent oil crunches like this from causing future inflation. I expect more competency from US Presidential administrations, and also expect more competency and ind…

Biden held back arms support for Ukraine on dubious "we don't wanna test Russia's red line" grounds, gave unlimited support a wannabe despot's (Netanyahu's) wars of aggression even as he tried to backstab democracy in the US, arguably also enabling him to start the current situation in Iran, failed to prosecute an attempt to overturn the US election, and stayed in the presidential race for too long when his body and mind was in visible decline.

We wouldn't be having a discussion about the US having a king if Biden's administration was actually competent at doing its job.

Re: US- and Greek-owned tankers ablaze after Iran claims 'underwater drone' strike

#238

Post by epistasis »

pibaker wrote: post #237
epistasis wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Biden administration was actually extremely competent, handled global inflation after the pandemic and Russia's war fairly well relative to peer nations, and set US manufacturing on course to provide us with all the batteries, solar panels, and EVs to prevent oil crunches like this from causing future inflation. I expect more competency from US Presidential administrations, and also expect more competency and ind…

Biden held back arms support for Ukraine on dubious "we don't wanna test Russia's red line" grounds, gave unlimited support a wannabe despot's (Netanyahu's) wars of aggression even as he tried to backstab democracy in the US, arguably also enabling him to start the current situation in Iran, failed to prosecute an attempt to overturn the US election, and stayed in the presidential race for too long when his body and…

I disagree heartily with Biden and the deeper US intelligence communities assessments, like you do.

Nonetheless, I wouldn't call Biden incompetent on any of that.

Biden did not lose, Kamala Harris lost. Biden was not incompetent, but he was successfully portrayed as incompetent by applying a very different standard to Biden than to Trump 45.

Re: US- and Greek-owned tankers ablaze after Iran claims 'underwater drone' strike

#239

Post by noumenon1111 »

cloche wrote: post #103
technothrasher wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FYI, "The Ukraine" is politically charged wording held over from Soviet times, and implies that it is part of Russia. The independent country is known simply as "Ukraine".

How do you explain "back in the USSR"?

You don't know how lucky you are, boy...

Re: US- and Greek-owned tankers ablaze after Iran claims 'underwater drone' strike

#240

Post by noumenon1111 »

pbiggar wrote: post #206
wing-_-nuts wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is very much a 'you break it, you buy it' situation. The US should be running destroyer screens for convoys a la WW2 today , yet AFAIK the US fleet is sitting hundreds of miles out of the Persian Gulf, within bombing range, outside of easy strike range.

The US shouldnt be starting wars with countries, and bombing civilians, at all.

Captain Obvious? Is that you??
Post reply on HN