IRGC Navy installs advanced missile-capable hardware on vessels

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
14 May 2023 00:35
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The Navy commander says the new missiles equipped on the ships include one with a 2,000 km range.

IRGC Navy corvette-class vessel Shahid Soleimani (Iranian media)

Ships of the IRGC Navy have received a massive upgrade and are now equipped with Vertical Launching Systems (VLS) and long-range cruise missiles, the forces' Commander Brigadier General Alireza Tangsiri said on Saturday.

His comments came during an interview for Iranian media as he discussed the advancement of the capabilities of the naval forces.

“The Abu Mahdi missile has a range of 1,000 kilometers. We have seen cruise missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers on the Shahid Mahdavi warship, which is domestically produced, and the name of this 2,000-kilometer missile is Qadr 474,” he said.

The missiles, the General noted, are installed on the Shahid Mahdavi and Shahid Soleimani-class ships.

“We had another vessel called Zolfoghar, which is compatible with our combat vessels and missile launchers, and with a range of 5,000 miles from the coast, it was necessary to be equipped with missiles for air coverage. It was for the first time, that the Aerospace Organization of the defense ministry installed a vertical launch missile on a vessel. We test-fired it successfully,” he added.

Tangsiri continued, “We have 12 missiles loaded on Shahid Soleimani's ship and also 4 Navab missiles are loaded on Zolfoghar's warship."

“Three types of missiles will be loaded on Shahid Soleimani's warship: The first type is medium-range missile is 200 km and 300 km. The second missile has a range of a 750-km and the third type are missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers,” the Commander said.

“In addition to the achievements by the defense ministry, we in the IRGC Navy have also prepared two types of long-range air defense missiles; One is the Kowsar 200 missile with a range of 5-7 km, which is capable of destroying drones, cruise missiles, and helicopters, and a Kowsar 222 missile with a range of 17 km, which is installed on the Ashura and Zolfaqar warships.”