“Construction of the heavy destroyer has been put on the agenda under a project dubbed Negin [gemstone],” Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi told Tasnim.
The top commander noted that the new destroyer is expected to weigh between 5,000 and 7,000 tons, adding that the warship will be used in long-running naval missions without any limitation.
In recent years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and hardware.
Iran’s Navy currently owns ‘Mowj-class’ destroyers, which weigh around 1,300 tons. The class includes the homegrown Sahand destroyer and Ghadir submarine that joined the Navy’s fleet in late 2018.
Sahand weighs 1,300 tons, is 96 meters in length, and can cruise at a speed of 25 knots. The destroyer is also equipped with various surface, subsurface and aerial weapons, and carries out radar jamming and deception operations.
Sahand is a stealth destroyer furnished with anti-submarine systems, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, point-defense weapon systems, and anti-aircraft guns.
MNA/TSNM2145322