Despite sanctions, Iran continues to develop homegrown naval capabilities

Tabnak – While the United States has been trying to set back Iran’s military advancements by imposing harsh sanctions against the Islamic Republic, major military plans of the country seem to have remained intact. In this vein, Tehran has recently unveiled a new military vessel, while working on upgrading the previous models.

In this vein, Iran has launched its most advanced military vessel which has radar-evading stealth properties and can sustain voyages lasting five months without resupply.

The Sahand destroyer, 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.

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 Sahand is the third of Mowj-class frigates built by Iran after the Jamaran and the Damavand, but its enhanced operational capabilities and size make it twice stronger in terms of offensive and defensive features.

According to deputy navy commander Rear-Admiral Touraj Hassani Moqaddam, 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.

The Sahand, he said, 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.

Meanwhile, Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said the domestically made Damavand destroyer, which crashed into a jetty back in January, will return to service in the coming months.

Speaking in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, Admiral Khanzadi pointed to the crash of the Damavand destroyer and said grounds have been provided for the repair of the destroyer in the Caspian Sea with the efforts of the Navy and the Defense Ministry.

The repair process of Damavand will not last more than 18 months, he said, adding that the Navy will make efforts to speed up the process.

The commander went on to say that in addition to the coming into service of Damavand, the country will witness the addition of Mowj-class (Wave-class) destroyers in coming days and months.

The Damavand destroyer crashed into a jetty on January 10, killing two sailors of the Iranian Navy. The accident occurred when Damavand was docking at port in Iran’s northern province of Gilan. Increasing wind speed and severe storm in the Caspian Sea caused the destroyer to have a crash with the jetty.

It’s worth mentioning that Iran launched its first locally-made destroyer in 2010 as part of a program to revamp its navy equipment in the face of sanctions which have barred the country from importing many weapons.

Since 1992, the country has manufactured its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles, radars, boats, submarines, unmanned aerial vehicles, and fighter planes.