.......Iran is estimated to possess roughly 6,000 mines,
according to a congressional report published Wednesday. The stockpile may include limpet mines, which are typically attached to a ship manually by a diver; moored mines, which float below the water’s surface and are tethered to the seabed; bottom mines that rest on the seabed; and drifting mines, which float above the water’s surface and detonate upon contact.
Here’s a look at the U.S. Navy’s arsenal of minesweepers, littoral combat ships equipped with countermine capabilities and helicopters outfitted with anti-mine technology.
Avenger-class minesweepers
The Navy currently has four Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships stationed in Sasebo, Japan, that it could forward deploy to the Middle East in support of Operation Epic Fury if necessary. The service commissioned 14 Avenger-classminesweepers beginning in the 1980s, but has since retired nearly all of them.
The service had four deployable minesweepers stationed in Bahrain up until 2025, but they were
decommissioned and replaced with littoral combat ships equipped with minesweeping and mine-hunting capabilities.
Each of the minesweepers decommissioned had served for over 30 years......
Independence-class littoral combat ships
The Navy has sought to modernize its minesweeping capabilities by rotating out its aging minesweepers in Bahrain for Independence-class littoral combat ships uniquely fitted with a
mine countermeasures mission package.
The USS Canberra
was the first LCS with the MCM package to arrive in the Middle East on May 22, 2025. The USS Santa Barbara and USS Tulsa, two other littoral combat ships with the MCM package, joined it shortly thereafter. All three are homeported in Bahrain.
As of Monday, the USS Canberra was operating in the Indian Ocean, parts of which fall under the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility, the U.S. 5th Fleet told Military Times in an emailed statement.
The USS Santa Barbara and USS Tulsa were conducting brief logistical stops in Malaysia, according to the U.S. 5th Fleet. “U.S. forces routinely make port calls in Malaysia as part of our operations,” the statement read......
Helicopters
The Independence-class littoral combat ship’s MCM package includes the aerial capabilities of the Sikorsky MH-60S Seahawk helicopter, which can deploy from the LCS to assist with mine hunting and minesweeping......
Prior to the MCM package, Sikorsky’s MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter served as the Navy’s main countermine aircraft, which was deployed during the Gulf War to help destroy mines and clear shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf..... The helicopter is currently out of production, with 28 aircraft in operation,
according to the Naval Air Systems Command website.
The Navy is in the process of “evaluating its requirement” for future airborne mine countermeasures missions after 2025, the website states.