IRGC unveils native vessel in PG drills

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has unveiled a native sonar-evading vessel dubbed Ya Mahdi in the initial phase of a new Persian Gulf military drill.

“The domestically-made vessel that carries rockets with powerful destructive capability shows Iran’s determined military strength in establishing security in the Persian Gulf,” IRGC’s naval commander Ali Reza Tang-siri said Thursday on the first day of the three-day military drill code-named ‘The Great Prophet 5’.

High-intensity rockets launched by remote-controlled Ya Mahdi vessels are able to destroy any targets on water surface, added the top commander, quoted by IRNA.

Over 300 vessels equipped with torpedo and guided-missiles are taking part in the massive naval maneuvers that coincide with the 31st anniversary of IRGC’s formation.

In the course of the military drills, 50 high-speed Iranian vessels identified hypothetical enemy targets intruding into the Persian Gulf territory. IRGC naval commandoes then captured the sea crafts upon disobeying stop orders.

Some 40 percent of the world’s seaborne oil shipments pass through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.

The main objective of this war game is to preserve the security of the region.