As ceasefire talks hit a stalemate in Pakistan, US Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced that it will be sending underwater drones to help clear the Strait of Hormuz.
“Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage, and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, as quoted as saying.
The press release added that “The Strait of Hormuz is an international sea passage and an essential trade corridor that supports regional and global economic prosperity. Additional US forces, including underwater drones, will join the clearance effort in the coming days.”
During the war, The New York Times reported that Iran had started laying naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz – effectively closing off the critical waterway to international shipping. About 20% of the world’s oil moves through that important chokepoint, as well as 20% of the world’s liquefied natural gas.
Iran is estimated to have between 2,000 and 6,000 naval mines, and upward of 80-90% of its small boats and mine layers, making it possible to lay hundreds of mines in the waterway. On Saturday, US officials said that Iran reportedly lost track of the locations of mines deployed in the Strait of Hormuz and has no clear idea of where all the mines were placed.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is a sticking point for both the United States and Iran in ceasefire talks. And Centcom, which is overseeing Epic Fury, announced in a press release on Saturday that it sent two US Navy guided-missile destroyers to conduct operations.
Sea mines are responsible for more damage to warships than any other weapon since World War II. According to the US Naval Institute (USNI), some of the US Navy’s oldest platforms are Mine-Counter-Mission (MCM) Avenger-class minehunters from the 1980s that had been deployed to Japan and Bahrain, and MH-53E Sea Dragon MCM helicopters that tow heavy minesweeping sleds that have been in service since 1983.
Pre-war preperations for minesweeping mission
A month before Operation Epic Fury began, four decommissioned Avenger-class minesweeper ships left Bahrain aboard the transport ship M/V Seaway Hawk.
They were replaced by the USS Santa Barbara (LCS-32) and USS Canberra (LCS-30), which carried MCM packages that include MH-60S helicopters and an MCM unmanned service vehicle that tows the AQS-20 sonars, which can detect sea mines, and Unmanned Influence Sweep Systems, which neutralize sea mines by detonating them.
According to USNI, “From the embarked MH-60, the AN/AES-1 Airborne Laser Mine Detection System uses lasers to detect mines closer to the surface. Once detected, the helicopter can deploy the AN/ASQ-235 Airborne Mine Neutralization System that lowers a torpedo-sized tube that carries expendable destructor vehicles to neutralize a mine.”
Another system is the AN/WSQ-46 Barracuda Mine Neutralization System, which can detonate near-surface mines.
Israel has been developing and manufacturing USVs for close to two decades, with several companies fielding various platforms. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has the Katana USV and the Blue Whale unmanned submarine; Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has the Protector; and Elbit Systems has the Seagull USV.
Skana Robotics, a defense-tech company founded by veterans of naval special operations and robotics experts, has two autonomous maritime systems, the Bull Shark Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV) and the Stingray Autonomous Underwater Vessel (AUV).