Iran to Launch Homegrown Cadet Training Ship within Two Years: Navy Commander
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A domestically-designed and manufactured cadet training ship will join the Iranian Navy within the next two years, the commander of the Navy said.
Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said one of the blocks of the Loghman-class vessel, dubbed Khalij Fars (Persian Gulf) has already been completed, and the remaining steps are being undertaken at Iran Shipbuilding & Offshore Industries Complex Co. (ISOICO), which lies 37 kilometers (22 miles) west of the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
He suggested that the training ship would be operational within the next two years.
“Our primary focus is to bring domestic knowledge-based companies into play. Accordingly, we have involved qualified technicians in order to make use of their relevant expertise and advance the Navy’s projects,” Irani pointed out.
The Iranian Navy commander went on to say that the second and third units of homegrown and semi-heavy Fateh (Conqueror) submarine are being built.
“The required number of the submarines will be determined by the strategies of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the intensity of threats facing the country. What is of great importance is that there is no limit to their production,” the senior Iranian military figure highlighted.
Irani added that the conceptual design, theoretical model and specifications of Be'sat (Revelation) submarine have all been completed, and the watercraft is in the construction phase.
“Its development is making good progress. However, the exact date of its launch cannot be ascertained as of now,” he said.
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 country 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 negotiations.
Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has repeatedly called for efforts to maintain and boost Iran’s defense capabilities, decrying enemies for questioning the country’s missile program.