Various series of

rigid inflatable boat A rigid inflatable boat (RIB), also rigid-hull inflatable boat or rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), is a lightweight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull bottom joined to side-forming air tubes that are ...

(RIB) are operated by naval forces of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. Based on a design by Italian

Fabio Buzzi Fabio Buzzi (28 January 1943 – 17 September 2019) was an Italian motorboat builder and racer. Biography Fabio Buzzi was born in Lecco in 1943, from a family tied for centuries to the art of building and design. His powerboat racing career sta ...

, they have been manufactured and modified in Iran.

History

The cooperation between

FB Design Fabio Buzzi (28 January 1943 – 17 September 2019) was an Italian motorboat builder and racer. Biography Fabio Buzzi was born in Lecco in 1943, from a family tied for centuries to the art of building and design. His powerboat racing career sta ...

and Iranians started in 1998, when frames and blueprints of patrol boat ''Levriero'' was purchased by Iran. It is likely that Shahid Joulaee Marine Industries (subordinate to

Marine Industries Organization Marine Industries Organization (MIO, fa, سازمان صنایع دریایی), formerly known as Marine Industries Group (MIG), is a defense industry complex subordinate to the Iranian defence ministry. It is the major producer of equipment for ...

) obtained a license to produce RIB-33SC and FB-55SC models domestically. In 2005, American authorities questioned FB Design about their deals with Iran, effectively putting an end to the cooperation. Iran has reportedly altered some original designs and manufactured similar modifications.

Types

According to 2015 edition of ''

Jane's Fighting Ships ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' by Janes Information Services is an annual reference book of information on all the world's warships arranged by nation, including information on ships' names, dimensions, armaments, silhouettes and photographs, etc. E ...

'', Iran is known to operate the following models and modifications of rigid inflatable boat: *RIB 42SC ( long, at least one in service) *FB 55 ( long, at least one in service) *FB 38 ( long, at least two in service) *RIB 36 ( long, at least two in service) *RIB 55SC ( long, at least two in service) The estimates for top speed of these vessels range between to . In addition to versions mentioned above, RIB 33 is in service in unknown numbers. According to H.I. Sutton, the

Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ( fa, نیروی دریایی سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, niru-ye daryâyi-e sepâh-e pâsdârân-e enghelâb-e eslâmi; officially abbreviated NEDSA ( fa, ندسا), als ...

commissioned 32 RIBs into service in June 2020, some equipped with

rocket launcher A rocket launcher is a weapon that launches an unguided, rocket-propelled projectile. History The earliest rocket launchers documented in imperial China consisted of arrows modified by the attachment of a rocket motor to the shaft a few in ...

s and the rest armed with

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

s. The vessels are used by the S.N.S.F., marines of the naval forces, likely for boarding operations.

References

Fast patrol boat classes of the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Inflatable boats Ships built by Marine Industries Organization {{Ship-type-stub

History

Types

See also

References