[Skybird]

Well I understand all that, but I am about that part of the article'S comment that mentions swarming tactics like in this attempt to catch the Chinese with - so they claimed - 50 speedboats, and then there is the part showing how difficult it can be to spot these damn things from aboard a ship, you see it at one of the photos.

I also do not know what kind of mounting devices you need for Stinger or RPG-style weapons!? You need a man and you need two hands and one shoulder, no tripod. And now consider a scenario where you have lets say 3 frigates, a naval area with plenty of fishing boats - and suddenly 2 dozens skiffs or even rubberboats of them start zigzaggin and racing at the frigates, maybe even loaded up with explosives planned to go off on contact, who knows. You are in the middle of a frenzy, numerous tiny contacts zigzagging and going stop-and-go, flooding the defender's field of vision, plus the attempt to sepoarate targets from civilians who also may speed up in an attempt to flee from the area.

So far only the pirates seem to use swarm tactics with so many boats. Consider that being the case with fanatical Republican Guards, in a limited body of water like the Hormuz straits, maybe even with an SS lurking somewhere close by!

There is a saying in German: viele Hunde sind des Hasen Tod. Many hounds soon catch the hare, or not? In a scneario of 12 speedboats with RPG and close range air defence missiles against a frigate with a helcioter, I would not automatically put my money on the frigate. Even less so when the speedboats are not operated by somali pirates with poor training and discipline, but fanatics who have received very strict military training and discipline.