Swarming at High Speed and Threatening Targets: Iran's 'Mosquito Fleet' Harasses the U.S. Navy

Hundreds of Fast Patrol Boats Deployed Across the Coast... Controlling the Strait
Experts: "A Sufficient Threat as an Asymmetric Capability"

The so-called "mosquito fleet" operated by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is emerging as a new burden for the U.S. Navy in the Strait of Hormuz, according to recent reports.

The UK daily Financial Times (FT) and others reported on May 9 (local time) that the mosquito fleet refers to a force of several hundred small fast patrol boats distributed across the inlets and caves along Iran's southern coast.

The mosquito fleet operates by swarming into the Strait of Hormuz when ordered, threatening ships and demonstrating control over the strait. This tactic was first fully employed during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. Since then, it has been used for missions such as threatening vessels, deploying naval mines, and supporting the seizure of ships.

Experts assess that individual fast patrol boats in the mosquito fleet do not possess the firepower to directly sink U.S. Navy warships or large oil tankers. Most of these boats are lightly armed with machine guns, and some are reportedly equipped with short-range missiles.

Fast patrol boat of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran. Yonhap News Agency

However, analysts say that if the IRGC’s missile and drone capabilities are combined with the mosquito fleet, it could pose a significant asymmetric threat capable of disrupting shipping operations. Joshua Tallis, a research analyst at the U.S. think tank Center for Naval Analyses (CNA), said, "Whether it’s a warship or a fast patrol boat, any vessel approaching is a real and immediate threat from the perspective of the crew."

In response, U.S. President Donald Trump recently downplayed the Iranian fast patrol boats, stating, "No matter how fast they are, they are basically just boats with a machine gun mounted on the front." However, the FT reported that Iran’s mosquito fleet has long served as a key asymmetric capability against the U.S. Navy. Rather than engaging in direct confrontation with large assets such as aircraft carriers, the strategy is to keep adversaries on edge and force them to incur sustained costs.

CNN highlighted the difficulty of detection as the greatest strength of the mosquito fleet. Since these small fast boats travel close to the water’s surface, they are hard to spot visually and are often detected late by radar. For the U.S. military to monitor them effectively, helicopters and drones must be deployed continuously, but the unpredictable timing and location of these boats’ operations is a persistent challenge.

Currently, the IRGC is estimated to operate between 500 and 1,000 fast patrol boats. In addition, it is known to possess over 1,000 unmanned surface vehicles, including suicide drone boats and unmanned vessels capable of launching missiles and torpedoes.

Recently, during the 'Project Freedom' operation, the U.S. military deployed Apache helicopters and destroyed six Iranian fast patrol boats. Experts point out that while boats operating on the high seas are vulnerable to precision strikes, the situation could change if Iran leverages its geographical advantages for a prolonged conflict.

The FT analyzed that as Iran’s regular navy continues to deteriorate, reliance on the mosquito fleet is increasing. Siddharth Kaushal, a research fellow at the UK think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), explained, "Iran’s regular navy depends on American-made patrol boats and aging Russian submarines introduced during the Pahlavi dynasty, but in practice, Iran relies on asymmetric capabilities like the mosquito fleet."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.