Iran's Defense Ministry released photos of what it says are its new radar-evading flying boats, the Bavar 2.
Iran unveiled three squadrons of new flying boats on Tuesday, Iranian news agencies reported.
The craft, dubbed the Bavar 2, is armed with a machine gun and carries surveillance cameras, according to a report from the Iranian Student News Agency.
"Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the few countries which managed to design, build and use flying boats in a short time," said Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who oversaw the delivering of the aircraft at the Bandar Abbas naval facility on the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz.
The delivery comes as Iran celebrates its Week of Sacred Defense, which commemorates its eight-year-long resistance to the 1980 Iraqi invasion, according to the Fars News Agency.
The flying boats look like one Iran used during Persian Gulf war games in April 2006. Media reports from the time include a video of a flying boat taking off.
After those 2006 reports, bloggers poked fun at Iran’s so-called stealth technology, saying the flying boat looked like something anyone could buy in kit form from mechanical magazine ads.
Radar evading?? The thing flies maybe 200knots....you could shoot it down with a .40cal handgun.
Radar evasion capability is in its innate ability to quickly sink upon attempt to take-off
Apaches? Do you mean the helicopter or American Indians? Because I think the Indians could take them on with a few spears and bows and arrows.
That's the dumbest thing I've ever seen. We should bring back a squadron of P-51 Mustangs to take em out.
If a pelican farts next to one of these it will generate enough wake turbulence to toss the Red Baron in to the Gulf
Fly my pretties FLY FLY... Ill get you and your lil dog too... how bout a lil fire scarecrow ?
It's like somebody asked for sharks with frikkin' laser beams, and got ill-tempered sea bass instead.
We will conquer the desert with ... flying boats!!!
Hahahahahahah. What a ridiculous investment. Looks like something my dad built in the 70's with an old Volkswagon engine. Hahahahahhah Ahmadinemonkeyman. You get funnier and funnier every day!!
Shoot, a couple rednecks with shotguns could take down the entire squadron.
They will surely dominate the soap boxy derby circuit.
COBRA!!!!!!!
These will work great in sand.
Hey guys...this is a ruse. Those clever bast**ards are hard at work building a new intercontinental bomber, which means they probably have to bolt eight or nine of these things together. We don't have much time, we had better fortify the east coast immediately!
To people saying these planes are a joke – you are clueless. These can skim the water very low and if armed with a missile could take out a ship. Very stealthy. If the US would have built these they would have cost $40 million each due to the typical waste and fraud.
These are fast enough to be stealth. Watch this video and tell me that your still worried. What a joke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRxXTkkJcJk
Bogey 3'oclock. 25 mm GAU-12 Equalizer target acquisition systems fixed and locked. Cyclic rate set to maximum. Engage and eliminate target. Target vaporized over.