A high-aspect-ratio twin-hull vessel (acronymed HARTH) [1] refers to a certain design of catamaran vessels with small waterplane area. These vessels are built and used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran. Such design is considered relatively rare in military usage. [2]
The design of vessels is being described as looking "almost like a pond skater" because of the superstructure sitting above tall legs. [3] Due to the large length of the hulls in the water (also known as pontoons) and also the high height of the deck above the surface, it has a high length-to-width ratio (and is thus called high-aspect-ratio). [4] This design enables small speedboats to move under the ship, which can technically make certain tactical scenarios possible. [3] In comparison to a conventional catamaran, HARTH design allows decreasing the drag forces of the hull and thus breaking the seawater during sailing more easily, as well as more transverse stability in harsh sea states as a result of low heave, pitch and roll motion. [4]
The structure is made of aluminum. [1]
A small waterplane area twin hull, better known by the acronym SWATH, is a catamaran design that minimizes hull cross section area at the sea's surface. Minimizing the ship's volume near the surface area of the sea, where wave energy is located, minimizes a vessel's response to sea state, even in high seas and at high speeds. The bulk of the displacement necessary to keep the ship afloat is located beneath the waves, where it is less affected by wave action. Wave excitation drops exponentially as depth increases, so wave action normally does not affect a submerged submarine at all. Placing the majority of a ship's displacement under the waves is similar in concept to creating a ship that rides atop twin submarines.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy or Iranian Navy, officially abbreviated NEDAJA, is the naval warfare service branch of Iran's regular military, the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (Artesh). It is one of Iran's two maritime military branches, alongside the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy is the naval warfare service of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps founded in 1985, and one of the two maritime forces of Iran, parallel to the conventional Islamic Republic of Iran Navy. The IRGC has been designated as a terrorist organization by the governments of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United States. IRGC's Navy has steadily improved its capabilities to support unconventional warfare and defend Iran's offshore facilities, coastlines, and islands in the Persian Gulf.
A green-water navy is a maritime force that is capable of operating in its state's littoral zones and has limited competency to operate in the surrounding marginal seas. It is a relatively new term, and has been created to better distinguish, and add nuance, between two long-standing descriptors: blue-water navy and brown-water navy.
The C 14-class missile boat is a light missile boat of catamaran designed for use in the Middle East, also known as the China Cat class. The small size of the ship, along with some stealth features provide it with good protection against enemy detection, and it can be armed with a variety of light anti-ship missiles. In addition to the low radar cross section, the boat is also extremely fast with an aluminum monohull with stepped planning.
The Type 22 missile boat is a ship class in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. The first boat was launched in April 2004 by the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard at Shanghai. The boats incorporate stealth features and are based on Australian-designed wave-piercing catamaran hulls that are more stable than other fast missile craft in high sea conditions. 82 of these missile boats are currently in service with three flotillas having been produced over a span of seven years, operating in squadrons of eight vessels each.
Intermarine is an Italian shipbuilding company, owned by the Rodriquez Cantieri Navali Group.
The Great Prophet IX was an Iranian war games exercise in the general area of the Strait of Hormuz on Larak Island, Persian Gulf. It started on February 25, 2015, and finished on February 27, 2015. The exercise was notable for using a full scale mock-up of an American aircraft carrier as a target.
Shahid Nazeri is a high-aspect-ratio twin-hull vessel operated by the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran.
The Ashura is a class of fast patrol boat used by naval forces of Iran. It is a Boston Whaler type vessel based on a Watercraft UK design, and is manufactured domestically with hulls made of glass-reinforced plastic.
Various series of rigid inflatable boat (RIB) are operated by naval forces of Iran. Based on a design by Italian Fabio Buzzi, they have been manufactured and modified in Iran.
Heidar is a class of boats built and operated by Iran, mainly for maritime patrol and search and rescue missions.
Shahid Roudaki is a warship operated by the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran that is capable of carrying helicopters, drones and missile launchers.
IRIS Makran is the first and only forward base ship of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, in service with its Southern Fleet since 2021 and named after a coastal region in southeastern Iran.
IRIS Shahid Soleimani is the lead ship of an Iranian class of missile corvettes with the same name. It was built by the Shahid Mahallati Shipyard and is operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy of Iran.
IRIS Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis is an Iranian missile corvette with hull number PC313-01. It is the lead ship of the Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis class of missile corvettes. It is the third indigenous high-aspect-ratio twin-hull (HARTH) class of vessel unveiled on 6 January 2024 in Bandar Abbas by Iran after the Shahid Nazeri class commissioned in 2016 and Shahid Soleimani class commissioned in 2022. The lead ship is named after Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis who was the former deputy head of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units, and was assassinated alongside Qasem Soleimani in the US drone strike on 3 January 2020. Like the other 2twoclass of ships, this ship is also in service with IRGC.
A drone carrier is a crewed or uncrewed ship equipped with a flight deck on which drones can take off and land. This ship can be civilian or military. In addition to drone carriers for unmanned aerial Vehicles, there are also others for unmanned underwater vehicles and unmanned surface vehicles.
The Shahid Soleimani class are the principal surface combatant ship of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy of Iran. These are an Iranian class of missile corvettes and bear the name of Qasem Soleimani, a prominent Iranian military officer, who was the commander of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force from 1998, until he was assassinated on 3 January 2020 by the United States in Baghdad,Iraq alongside Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. These ships are being built by various shipyards in Bushehr, Qeshm and Bandar Abbas and are operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy of Iran.
The Abu Mahdi al Muhandis class is an class of Iranian missile corvette. It is a missile corvette which is third in the series of indigenous high-aspect-ratio twin-hull (HARTH) class of vessel, alongside Shahid Nazeri class commissioned in 2016 and the Shahid Soleimani class commissioned in 2022 respectively. The lead ship of the class is named after Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and was unveiled on 6 January 2024 in Bandar Abbas by Iran. Abu Mahdi al Muhandis was the former deputy head of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units, who was assassinated alongside Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike on 3 January 2020 by the United States. Like the other two classes of ships, this class is also in service with IRGC as principal combatant ships. As of now three more ships are planned.
 Ship classes of the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal warfare vessels |
|  | |||||||
| Patrol vessels |
| ||||||||
| Amphibious warfare vessels |
| ||||||||
| Auxiliary ships |
| ||||||||
 | This article about a type of ship or boat is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
