“The naval groups are also capable of producing and repairing new drones onboard during operation,” Rear Admiral Irani said in a state TV interview broadcast on Saturday night.
“What is important is that the operational range, which we call operational dominion, and our intelligence dominance, is now increased by hundreds of kilometers, or even over a thousand kilometers, which is a very unique potential,” he added.
The Iranian Navy upgraded its force by unveiling a drone-carrier division comprised of different surface and subsurface units. The division is capable of carrying various combat, surveillance, and suicide drones and has joined the country’s Southern fleet on Friday.
“Today, our naval groups are deployed in distances of more than two thousand kilometers and provide our shipping lines and economic arteries with security. Now suppose there is a naval group there and also has access to a flight squadron, which in itself has a range of over one thousand kilometers. This means our intelligence dominance, our operational dominion improves from two thousand to three thousand kilometers, or even more,” the commander continued.
“In addition, we are reducing our reliance on land as a vessel focused on a support-combat or support mission is a base, which means you have moved a base from inside the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran to a location two thousand kilometers away deep inside oceans,” he added.
In the unveiling ceremony of the new drone division, which was held with high-ranking Iranian commanders in attendance, a number of drones produced by the Army, Defense Ministry, and knowledge-based firms showcased their capabilities. Home-made UAVs such as Pelican, Homa, Arash, Chamroosh, Jubin, Ababil-4, and Bavar-5 performed successfully in the military exercise in the Indian Ocean.
Other than drones that use vertical takeoff systems that were launched from surface vessels, combat drones have been launched from submarines including homegrown Fateh and Tareq submarines.
This makes Iran the only country in the region with the ability to launch UAVs from subsurface units.
The Islamic Republic’s military doctrine holds that the country’s armed capability solely serves defensive purposes and poses no threat to other states.
Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made substantial headway in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the weaponry sphere.
Iranian officials have repeatedly underscored that the country will not hesitate to boost its military capabilities, including its missile and drone power, which are entirely meant for defense, and that Iran’s defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiation.
The new naval upgrade comes just days after US President Joe Biden boasted that Washington may use force to counter Iran’s nuclear energy program as a “last resort”.
In response, Iranian Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi warned the US and the Israeli regime against any adventurist move in the region, and stated that they will be forced to pay a heavy price in case of their slightest mistake.
“The Americans and the Zionists know very well that they will pay the price for using the phrase ‘resorting to force’ against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” General Shekarchi warned.
