Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran … War

[Carth]

6 months to clear a minefield?

Come on, a large group of unruly teenagers in speedboats would have it done inside 3 weeks

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/20...rait-of-hormuz

Iran’s stockpile is estimated by maritime analysts to number 2,000 to 6,000 mines, a significant portion of which are produced domestically. These weapons generally fall into three categories, based on how they interact with their targets:

Contact mines: These are traditional designs, such as the M-08, which date back to World War I. They are moored to the seabed and detonate upon physical contact with a ship’s hull.

Bottom (influence) mines: Models like the Maham-2 rest on the seafloor and are triggered by the acoustic, magnetic or pressure signatures of passing vessels, making them significantly harder to detect than moored varieties – and more dangerous than contact mines because the ship doesn’t even need to touch the mine to trigger an explosion.

‘Smart’ and rocket mines: More advanced systems, including reportedly imported Chinese EM-52 rocket mines, remain moored on the seabed at depths of up to 200 metres (656ft). When they detect a ship sailing overhead, they release a rocket that strikes the vessel’s underside.

How easy is it to clear sea mines?
The process of clearing mines – known as mine countermeasures (MCM) – is slow, methodical and high risk. It involves “mine hunting”, using high-resolution sonar to find individual mines, and “minesweeping”, using mechanical or magnetic systems to trigger them.

However, the US Navy is facing what experts call a “mine gap”. The FPRI’s analysis detailed how institutional neglect had led to the retirement of dedicated MCM assets just months before this war. The Navy decommissioned its last four Avenger-class MCM ships in Bahrain in September. Additionally, the MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters, long the backbone of airborne minesweeping, were phased out in August, it reported.

The current US strategy relies on small combat ships built for coastal operations and fitted with MCM mission modules. However, only one of these vessels, the USS Canberra, is currently available in the region.

“MCM units tend to be good at one single job and lousy at anything but minimal point defence,” Hudisteanu told Al Jazeera. He explained that while conducting clearance, these vessels are “virtually sitting ducks” for coastal missiles or fast attack craft, requiring a massive protective screen of destroyers and aircraft to operate.

tl:dr - Good luck with that…