It Swims, It Flies, It Gives A Press Conference

[ErnstBlofeld]

The Strategy Page:

Iran has revealed its latest revolutionary weapons design. This one, the Baver, is a flying boat, that can hold two people, a machine-gun and cameras. At least a dozen were revealed during the media campaign to introduce it.
The Baver has a rear facing prop mounted above the hull. It can fly for short periods, at low altitude. Baver is similar to the Russian Ekranoplan in shape, but different in operation. The Ekranoplan was designed to fly just above the water, while the Baver operates more like similar recreational models available in the West. Iran says Baver is mainly for reconnaissance, which is a frank admission that such a fragile device would not last long in any combat situation.

Announcements like this are a frequent event in Iran. It all appears more for propaganda than a realistic revelation of increased combat power. For example, earlier this year Iran announced that it had developed an armed UAV, with a range of 1,000 kilometers. Pictures of this new weapons showed what appeared to be a copy of 1950s era American cruise missile, or target drone. These, in turn, were based on a similar weapon, the German V-1 "buzz bomb" that was used extensively in World War II to bomb London. The Iranian "Karar" UAV has the benefit of more efficient jet engines, more effective flight control hardware and software, and GPS navigation. Karar is not a wonder weapon, but the Iranians are depending on a clueless international mass media, and their own citizens, to believe it is.