TEHRAN - Marine Industries Organization chief Rear Admiral Amir Rastegari has said that the Iranian Navy’s destroyers will be armed with cruise missiles able to be launched vertically.

It has been planned to install silos of missiles on destroyers which are capable of being launched vertically, Rastegari told the Mehr news agency in an interview published on Saturday.
 
“Damavand and Dena destroyers will be equipped with surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-surface missiles, which boast higher speed, power, and range than the earlier versions of missiles, and are easier in application and maintenance,” he added, according to Mehr.

The propulsion systems of the destroyers have also been improved in a bid to bolster the Navy’s reaction speed in critical marine situations, he explained.

“We have achieved the technology to manufacture phased-array and optical radars, and we will install such systems on Dena and Damavand,” he added.

The commander went on to say that the mentioned radars are now offered to several foreign buyers, a number of which are among the industrialized countries.

Highlighting the vital role the marine industries and the naval forces play in defending the country, which is linked to the free waters, the military official noted that the Defense Ministry has geared up to become self-sufficient in this field by developing different strategic marine equipment, such as new propulsion systems, gasoline and diesel engines, power transmission systems, and monitoring systems.

He stressed that destroyers and giant submarines will become a big part of the Iranian Navy’s flotilla in the near future.

NA/PA