Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said on Saturday that the IRGC Navy has armed its vessels with a new type of cruise missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers.
The domestically-developed “Qadr-474” cruise missiles had been mounted on two classes of the IRGC Navy vessels, namely Martyr Mahdavi and Martyr Soleimani, Fars News Agency (FNA) quoted Rear Admiral Tangsiri as saying in an interview. He added that the cruise missile can hit targets within a range of 2,000 kilometers.
The Senior Commander said that the advanced Soleimani warship, named after Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, has been furnished with various types of missiles with ranges of 200, 300, 750 and 2,000 kilometers.
He added that the IRGC Navy is going to employ a new coast-to-sea cruise missile, named after Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis. The Abu Mahdi missile and two other cruise missiles with 750-km and 2,000-km ranges are smart, can be guided and go after a new target before explosion, and can be launched even from regions deep in the land and behind the mountains to hit naval targets, he continued.
The Navy Commander also stated that the IRGC Navy will unveil four Soleimani-class vessels in the current Iranian year, noting that the new military catamarans can travel at a speed of 45 knots and are furnished with 300-km and 750-km missiles.
Ashura and Zolfaqar vessels had also been equipped with Kosar-200 and Kosar-222 defense missile systems, he continued.
Back in early May, Tangsiri said that Iran has started constructing a new generation aircraft carrier different from the existing ones in the world.
“One of our most important plans is to construct an aircraft carrier. This ship will be unique in the world,” the IRGC commander stated, adding that the carrier will come out with unprecedented capabilities.
He noted the Iranian-made ship is capable of both carrying aircraft and a number of missile launchers on board.
In early March, an oceangoing warship, known as mobile naval city capable of carrying helicopters and drones, joined the fleet of the IRGC Navy.
The domestically-developed ship, named Martyr Mahdavi, provides the IRGC a large and floating base from which to run the small and fast boats, helicopters and various types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The ship can cruise in faraway waters and ensure the security of the Iranian trade vessels in high seas.
The oceangoing warship is 240 meters in length and 32 meters in width and weighs 14,000 tons and has a load capacity of 41,000 tons. It has been equipped with a 3-dimensional phased array radar, sea-to-sea and sea-to-air missiles, advanced communication systems for electronic warfare, and cruise missiles with a range of 700km. It is capable of carrying helicopters and drones.
