Arthur J. Villasanta – Fourth Estate Contributor
Tehran, Iran (4E) – The Navy of Islamic Republic of Iran Army (NEDAJA) has deployed an increasing number of an unusual weapon called a “ground effect vehicle” (GEV) that combines the qualities of a boat and plane.
NEDAJA announced the deployment of three squadrons of its “Bavar-2” GEV, which it describes as “advanced flying boats.” This means some 30 of these GEVs might be operational.
Also called ekranoplans, sea skimmers or Wing-in-Ground vehicles, GEVs are designed to skim a few meters over land or sea. GEVs take advantage of a phenomenon called “ground effect” in which wing surfaces encounter less drag the closer they are to a land or water surface.
GEVs such as Bavar-2 (Belief-2 in English) can stay airborne as long as they remain at a low-altitude envelope. This makes them suitable for maritime operations.
Bavar-2 was unveiled in September 2010 by NEDAJA. It was designed to have small radar signature (making it difficult to track on radar) and be able to remain undetected when on patrol.
Carrying a one- or two-man crew, Bavar-2 can be equipped with different kinds of weapons, including machine gun and Iranian-made rockets and missiles. It can reach speeds of up to 185 km/h.
The blue-painted, one-man Bavar-2s operated by NEDAJA are equipped with night-vision devices; cameras and datalinks. They’re armed with a single 7.62 mm machine gun. Rockets are optional.
NEDAJA, however, is developing the two-man version into a more capable combat vehicle.
This version will have a range about 1,000 km and should be capable of operating at altitudes ranging from half a meter to 900 meters. It will have a maximum speed of 190 km/h.
It will be armed with rockets and might be used against U.S. Navy warships operating in the Persian Gulf.
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