Record Number of Missiles Mounted on Iranian Destroyer
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Sabalan has become the first destroyer of the Iranian Navy furnished with a dozen cruise missiles.
Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani told Tasnim that the Sabalan destroyer has been armed with 12 anti-ship cruise missiles.
The general noted that the upgraded version of the military vessel will be unveiled soon.
With a weight of 1,500 tons, Sabalan was previously furnished with only four ‘Qader’ and ‘Qadir’ cruise missiles.
The destroyer, which has so far taken part in 13 overseas missions as part of the Iranian Navy’s flotillas, is an Alvand-class warship that had been purchased under the name of ‘Rostam’ from the UK before the victory of the Islamic Revolution.
In July, the Iranian Navy took delivery of a new long-range strategic cruise missile, named after Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
With a range of over 1,000 kilometers, the homegrown naval cruise missile would expand Iran’s naval defense coverage zone several times and allow the Navy units to broaden their operational range.
Known as the first long-range naval cruise missile whose trajectory definition and command-and-control systems have been equipped with artificial intelligence, the missile can streak at low altitudes for radar-evading maneuvers and alter its course and height in midair.