Sepah Navy Special Force
| Special Unit of NEDSA | |
|---|---|
| یگان ویژه ندسا | |
 | |
| Country |  Iran |
| Allegiance | Supreme Leader of Iran |
| Branch |  Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps |
| Type | Special forces |
| Role | Special operations |
| Part of | Navy |
| Garrison/HQ | Greater Farur Island[1] |
| Engagements | Gulf of Aden anti-piracy operations |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |  Commodore Sadegh Amoie[2] |
The Special Unit of NEDSA (Persian: یگان ویژه ندسا),[2] also known as Sepah Navy Special Force (S.N.S.F.) (Persian: نیروی ویژه دریایی سپاه),[1] is a Takavar unit in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy stationed in the Greater Farur Island of the Persian Gulf.[1]
Mission set
[edit]The unit has marines, frogmen and snipers specializing in heliborne, amphibious warfare and naval boarding.[2]
SNSF personnel train in combat diving, direct action, counterterrorism, special reconnaissance, underwater demolitions, amphibious assault, hostage rescue, and maritime visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) operations. Among the unit’s missions is to protect Iranian commercial vessels, and SNSF personnel have deployed to the Gulf of Aden to assist with Iranian counterpiracy operations.[3]
Operations in Gulf of Aden
[edit]In 2012, the force conducted a 117-days operation in Gulf of Aden to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia, which included collaboration with the American forces, such as a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk providing reconnaissance for the unit's ship.[2]
MSC Aries ship seizure
[edit]On April 13, 2024, Iranian naval commandos seized the MSC Aries, a Portuguese-flagged civilian container ship[4][5] belonging to Gortal Shipping, for “violating maritime laws”.[6]
Weapons
[edit]The Iranian produced Tondar SMG (Heckler & Koch MP5) 9mm is known to be used by the unit. The Spanish produced Star Model Z84 sub-machine gun is also favored by the unit. The Iranian produced AKM 7.62x39mm is also used by the unit in some situations. AK-103 is used by this force.[7]
Gallery
[edit]-
Takavar members in Great Prophet IX maneuver, 25–27 February 2015
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References
[edit]- ^ a b c "احداث فرودگاه و بندرگاه در جزایر فارور". Mehr News Agency. October 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d "ناگفتههای فرمانده یگان ویژه ندسا از حضور سپاه در خلیج عدن". Fars News Agency. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- ^ Iran Military Power (PDF). Defense Intelligence Agency. 2019. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-16-095157-2. This article incorporates public-domain text from this source.
- ^ "Iran's Revolutionary Guard seizes a container ship near Strait of Hormuz amid tensions with Israel". AP News. 2024-04-13. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
- ^ Motamedi, Maziar. "Iran's IRGC seizes 'Israeli-linked' ship near Strait of Hormuz". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
- ^ "Iran says MSC Aries vessel seized for 'violating maritime laws'". Reuters. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ "Iran Navy showcases Russian AK-103 Assault Rifles in Military Exercise". Navy Naval News Navy Recognition. 2023-11-27. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
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