Iran to unveil Damavand destroyer

The Islamic Republic of Iran is scheduled to unveil a new state-of-the-art destroyer in the near future, says Iran’s Navy commander.

The destroyer dubbed Damavand is undergoing tests and will officially join the Iranian naval fleet in six months’ time, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told the Iranian daily Kayhan on Sunday.

Once it enters service, said the Navy commander, the vessel will be employed in various naval missions.

In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.

The Iranian Navy launched its first domestically-built destroyer, Jamaran, in the waters of the Persian Gulf in February 2010.

The 1,420-ton destroyer is equipped with modern radar systems and other electronic warfare capabilities and has a top speed of up to 30 knots and a helipad.

The vessel, equipped with torpedoes and modern naval cannons, also features highly advanced anti-aircraft, anti-surface and anti-subsurface missile systems.

Damavand, however, is longer but lighter than Jamaran destroyer and is capable of tracking and targeting aerial, surface and sub-surface targets simultaneously.

It is equipped with a cruise missile system, torpedo launchers, 40-mm and 76-mm cannons, radar processing systems as well as tactical surface and aerial radars.

Iran’s Navy also launched the domestically-developed Jamaran-2 destroyer, which features cutting-edge navigation equipment and complex defensive systems, in the Caspian Sea near the northern port city of Bandar Anzali on March 16, 2013.

Tehran has repeatedly assured other countries that its military might poses no threat to other states, insisting that the country’s defense doctrine is entirely based on deterrence.