The Tareq or Boghammar speedboat family covers Swedish Boghammar high-speed patrol boats and Iranian-built or Iranian-modified descendants used by the IRGC Navy as lightly armed fast inshore attack craft. The type became prominent during the Tanker War phase of the 1980 Iran-Iraq War, when Revolutionary Guard crews used small armed speedboats for harassment and attacks on shipping, and later remained part of Iran's broader small-boat swarm and coastal-denial force.
During the Tanker War phase of the 1980 Iran-Iraq War, Iran's Revolutionary Guard used armed Boghammar speedboats for hit-and-run attacks on international shipping in the Persian Gulf, including machine-gun, rocket, and recoilless-rifle armed attacks reported in 1987.
The 1987 reporting does not describe one factory-standard combat loadout. It instead points to small crews adapting fast patrol boats with weapons that could threaten bridges, engine rooms, superstructure, and exposed crew on commercial ships.
| Feature | Source-backed context |
|---|---|
| Small crew | Washington Post reporting described Revolutionary Guard crews of about five or six personnel operating the boats during Gulf attacks. |
| High speed and shallow-water access | The same reporting described a 42 ft Swedish aluminum speedboat with twin diesel engines, about 40 mph cruising speed, about 60 mph sprint speed, and shallow-water utility. |
| Weapons mix | Reported armament included machine guns, RPG-7 launchers, hand-fired rockets, and 106 mm recoilless cannon, while later small-craft summaries also describe 107 mm rockets and other locally fitted weapons. |
| Operational pattern | Reports described hit-and-run attacks and use of islands, oil platforms, buoys, or mother ships as operating points in the Gulf. |
Open sources use Boghammar for both the Swedish-built patrol boats originally ordered by Iran and later Iranian small-boat designs or modifications in the same fast-attack-craft role. The rows below separate original hull families, wartime armed configurations, and later Iranian Tareq reporting.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Boghammar RL-118 | Original Swedish high-speed patrol boat family | GlobalSecurity identifies the original models supplied to Iran as monohull RL-118 and RL-130-4A boats, later locally fitted with light weapons. Sources: Boghammar Fast Attack Craft |
| Boghammar RL-130 / RL-130-4A | Larger original Swedish high-speed patrol boat family | Washington Post reporting described the Swedish aluminum speedboat as about 42 ft long, twin-diesel powered, and adapted by Iran with weapons for Gulf attacks. |
| Armed Tanker War Boghammar | Machine-gun, rocket, RPG, or recoilless-rifle attack craft | 1987 reporting described Revolutionary Guard crews using Boghammar boats armed with machine guns, RPG-7 rockets, hand-fired rockets, and 106 mm recoilless cannon against shipping. Sources: New Iranian Naval Weapon: High-Speed Patrol Boats, Boghammar Fast Attack Craft |
| Improved Tareq-class boats | Later Iranian-produced or improved IRGC Navy boats | Radio Farda reported improved Tareq-class boats among more than 100 craft delivered to the IRGC Navy in 2020, manufactured by Iran's Marine Industries Organization and IRGC Navy entities. Sources: More Than 100 Gunboats Delivered To Revolutionary Guard's Navy |
Public reporting treats Boghammar and Tareq boats as configurable small craft rather than one fixed weapons fit. The weapons below are representative mounted or carried arms documented for Iranian Boghammar-style boats.
| Carried item | Item type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 12.7 mm heavy machine gun class | Washington Post and GlobalSecurity reporting describe machine-gun armed Revolutionary Guard Boghammar boats; the DShK entry represents the common 12.7 mm heavy-machine-gun class used across Iranian small-boat reporting. Sources: New Iranian Naval Weapon: High-Speed Patrol Boats, Boghammar Fast Attack Craft |
 | Rocket-propelled grenade launcher | Washington Post reporting described Revolutionary Guard Boghammar crews with RPG-7 rocket launchers during Gulf shipping attacks. |
 | 106 mm recoilless rifle class | Washington Post reporting identified 106 mm recoilless cannon among the heavier weapons mounted on Iranian Boghammar speedboats. |
 | 107 mm rocket class | GlobalSecurity describes later Iranian Boghammar-style small boats with 107 mm rockets, matching the broader Iranian 107 mm rocket family represented by Haseb/Fajr-1. Sources: Boghammar Fast Attack Craft |
Boghammar is both a specific Swedish patrol-boat lineage and a shorthand often applied to Iranian armed speedboats with similar fast-attack roles. For catalog navigation, this page covers the Boghammar/Tareq branch while the broader mixed fleet appears under Iranian small attack boats.
| Related catalog entry | Connection | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
 | Broader IRGC Navy small-boat force | Covers the mixed swarm fleet that includes Boghammar/Tareq boats alongside Ashura, Peykaap/Zolfaghar, Seraj, Thondor/Houdong, and other fast craft. |
 | Adjacent Iranian fast-attack-craft family | Represents North Korean-derived and Iranian missile or torpedo boats with more explicit anti-ship missile fits than typical Boghammar/Tareq craft. |
 | Later high-speed Iranian small-boat lineage | Represents a Bladerunner-derived Iranian fast boat branch associated with rocket, gun, missile, and specialized derivatives. |
Washington Post reporting said Iran's Revolutionary Guard used Boghammar speedboats in attacks on international shipping that began in February 1987.
Sources: New Iranian Naval Weapon: High-Speed Patrol Boats
Open-source accounts of Operation Praying Mantis describe Iranian Boghammar speedboats attacking commercial targets before U.S. aircraft engaged the boats.
Sources: Boghammar Fast Attack Craft
The Office of Naval Intelligence described IRGC Navy fast inshore attack craft as a central tool for swarm tactics and coastal denial in the Persian Gulf operating environment.
Sources: Iran's Naval Forces
Radio Farda reported that improved Tareq-class boats were included in a delivery of more than 100 new craft to the IRGC Navy.
Sources: More Than 100 Gunboats Delivered To Revolutionary Guard's Navy
