The U.S. Armed Forces confirmed a few hours ago the attack on the Iranian drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri, a raid that forms part of the American offensive against the various naval units belonging to the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Thanks to a video released by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), it is possible to observe how the Iranian drone carrier receives at least two impacts, which subsequently caused a fire aboard the IRIS Shahid Bagheri. At the time of the attack, the vessel appears to be stationary, with no activity or deployed assets visible on its flight deck.
According to what was detailed by the commander of CENTCOM, Admiral Brad Cooper, the U.S. Armed Forces have sunk at least 30 vessels belonging to the Iranian naval forces. These losses were recently compounded by the attack on the IRIS Shahid Bagheri, a unit that will most likely meet the same fate once it is consumed by the flames.
Since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. Armed Forces have concentrated their offensive on various strategic Iranian targets, particularly command posts, ballistic missiles, air-defense and detection systems, among others. Iranian naval forces have also suffered the consequences of these attacks, with a significant number of vessels sunk or damaged in port or while anchored.
However, one of the exceptions occurred just over a day ago, when the U.S. Navy attack submarine USS Charlotte (SSN-776) sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena with a Mk 48 torpedo. Confirmation of the attack and subsequent sinking was provided by the Secretary of War himself, Pete Hegseth, when he reported that “…in the Indian Ocean, a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship that believed it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo: Silent Death…”.
Iranian drone carrier Shahid Bagheri
Conceived on the basis of extensive conversion and modification work on a merchant vessel, the drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri entered service just over a year ago with the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, one of the two naval forces operated by Iran.
The modifications implemented, which lasted nearly two years, were primarily aimed at adapting the vessel to become a drone-carrier and helicopter-carrier platform. Among some of the general features of the Shahid Bagheri stands out its sky-jump configuration, a continuous flight deck intended to allow the recovery of fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles, and an aft flight deck designed for helicopter operations.
The vessel also had the capacity to deploy light missile boats as well as unmanned naval surface systems, platforms that are used extensively by Iranian naval forces. According to statements made at the time by the then-commander of the IRGC Navy, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, the drone carrier had an operational range of 22,000 nautical miles, in addition to being capable of conducting deployments for an entire year in distant waters without the need to refuel.
Although the extent of the damage suffered remains unknown for the moment, it is very likely that the Shahid Bagheri will be rendered inoperable and, in the worst case, sunk. Satellite imagery will possibly become available within 72 to 96 hours, allowing confirmation of the fate of the Iranian drone carrier.
STORY IN DEVELOPMENT
*Cover image: CENTCOM.
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