The two warships recently added to the fleet of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy are equipped with domestically-developed surface-to-air (SAM) and cruise missiles, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri says.
The IRGC Navy commander told the IRIB TV1 television channel on Wednesday that the two homegrown catamarans, dubbed Shahid (Martyr) Sayyad Shirazi and Shahid Hassan Bagheri, are named after the legendary Iranian military commanders known for their heroics during the imposed war in the 1980s.
Each of the vessels is furnished with six Sayyad-3 (Hunter-3) surface-to-air missiles, 16 vertically launched Navvab air defense missiles, as well as six cruise missiles with a range of between 40 and 750 kilometers. Their radar systems can identify targets up to a range of 150 kilometers, the commander stated.
Tangsiri said the new military catamarans are 68 meters in length, 18.5 meters wide, 14 meters in height, and have four marine engines.
The IRGC Navy chief said the hulls of the vessels are made of aluminum, meaning they would neither sink nor lose mobility in case of a maritime incident. He said Iran is the third country in the world capable of manufacturing such watercraft.
The vessels enjoy good seakeeping abilities and stability features. They can withstand rogue ocean waves of up to Force 7, Tangsiri said.
The commander said the IRGC Navy is in close contact with 103 domestic knowledge-based firms as well as 32 universities in order to develop the military gear it requires.
On Monday, the IRGC Navy took delivery of Shahid Sayyad Shirazi and Shahid Hassan Baqeri military vessels during a ceremony in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas.
Iranian military experts and engineers have in recent years made remarkable breakthroughs in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient.
Iranian officials have repeatedly underscored that the Islamic Republic will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities, including its missile power, which are entirely meant for defense, and that Iran’s defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiation.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has repeatedly called for efforts to maintain and boost Iran’s defense capabilities.
