The Iranian navy has launched a domestically made destroyer, which it calls ‘its most advanced military vessel’ , which has radar-evading stealth properties and can sustain voyages lasting five months without resupply, Iranian news channel PressTV reported.
Called ‘The Sahand destroyer’, which was inducted into the Navy in the Persian Gulf Saturday, “is the result of daring and creative design relying on the local technical knowledge” of the Iranian experts, said Rear-Admiral Alireza Sheikhi, as per the report.
The vessel has a flight deck for helicopters, torpedo launchers, anti-aircraft and anti-ship guns, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles and electronic warfare capabilities, the report added.
According to deputy navy commander Rear-Admiral Touraj Hassani Moqaddam quoted in the report, the new destroyer is fitted with the domestically-built Kamand close-in weapon system which can fire anywhere from 4,000 to 7,000 shells per second.
He said that the destroyer will set off for South America with two other warships and special helicopters in the near future as part of Iran’s dispatch of ships to international waters.
The development comes after US imposed economic sanctions on Iran after President Donald Trump withdrew from the Obama-led JCPOA act in May, with the aim to reduce oil exports to zero. So far, eight countries have been granted exemptions to continue with the trade.
Senior Iranian officials have said that if Iran is not allowed to export, then no other countries will be allowed to export oil through the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf, Al Jazeera reported.
Since 1992, the country has manufactured its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles, radars, boats, submarines, unmanned aerial vehicles, and fighter planes.
On Thursday, Iran’s navy acquired two new mini submarines designed for operations in shallow waters such as the Gulf.
Military officials said the subs have sonar-evading technology and can launch missiles from under water, as well as fire torpedoes and drop marine mines, the report stated.
