10 Destroyers, Missile Frigates Ready for Launch

Iran will soon unveil 10 types of home-made naval vessels, including different classes of destroyers and missile-launching frigates, a senior Navy commander said.

Speaking to Fars News Agency, Lieutenant Commander of the Navy for Technical Affairs Rear Admiral Abbas Zamini pointed out that the designing and building of Jamaran destroyer, a Moj 1 Class vessel, showed Iran’s high technical know-how and capabilities in manufacturing battleships, and added that the country is already manufacturing a second generation of the hi-tech vessel.

The construction phase of Velayat destroyer, a Moj 2 Class vessel, is 70% through, he said, and added that the vessel is under construction in Iran’s northern port of Bandar Anzali.

The admiral declared that Velayat will be launched in the current Iranian year (ends on March 2013).

“In addition,” the commander stated “construction of other Moj and Sina-class destroyers are underway including Moj 3 and 4 projects.”

He further announced that construction of a Moj 5 class destroyer, named Sahand, will be completed in the near future, and the Navy vessel will be launched this year.

The admiral noted the manufacture of Sina-class missile-launching frigates, and said that construction of three classes of this Navy vessel is on Iran’s agenda. He also mentioned that the Defense Ministry and the Navy are working on four projects to build four different classes of warships, and said the four projects are called Sina 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Iran’s first home-made destroyer, Jamaran, was launched in late February 2010. The Moj class vessel has a displacement of around 14,000 tons and is equipped with modern radars and electronic warfare capabilities and is armed with a variety of anti-ship, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles. Jamaran is also equipped with different kinds of weapons, including a powerful and smart missile named ‘Noor’ (light).