Iran Reduces Time Needed for Building Destroyers to Less than 2 Years

"Today, we enjoy the capacity to build destroyers in a timespan of less than two years and we are making efforts to reduce it to less than one year," Rear Admiral Khanzadi said in an interview with the Arabic-language al-Alam news channel on Monday.

He added that a new home-made destroyer named Sahand that carries helicopters, and a new domestically-manufactured submarine named Fateh will join the Iranian navy in the near future.

"Fateh will be a surprise for the trans-regional threats and they (the enemies) should wait for its delivery to the Islamic Republic's Navy," Rear Admiral Khanzadi said.

Iran has made major achievements in manufacturing different weapons and military equipment.

In relevant remarks last Saturday, Iranian Army Deputy Commander for Coordination Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced that a domestically-built destroyer a submarine would join Iran's naval fleet in the near future.

The admiral said the domestically developed and built destroyer, Sahand, and home-made submarine, Fateh, would launch operation soon in future.

He praised efforts made by talented and skillful Iranian engineers and navy experts, reminding that the two vessels have been designed and built at a time when Iran has been under harsh sanctions for four decades.

Late in July, Rear Admiral Khanzadi announced that the construction jobs and naval tests on the home-made destroyer, Sahand, were also being accomplished, adding that it would be put into operation by the end of this fall along with Dena.

"Fateh submarine which is the first mid-class submarine built by the Islamic Republic of Iran will also be unveiled soon," Rear Admiral Khanzadi said.

He also referred to efforts to overhaul Damavand, a destroyer which sunk in the Caspian Sea in January after it suffered damages during the stormy weather of Anzali Port in Northern Iran, and said overhaul of the giant vessel would end by the yearend "and it will have the same, and even more, capabilities in less than two years".

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