The Iranian government approved a bill to establish the Armed Forces Marine Industries Organization in a move to enhance the country's deterrence and military power.
The ratification was approved during a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday.
The cabinet ratification is aimed at developing deterrence capabilities and providing the defensive needs of the Iranian Armed Forces to surface and subsurface vessels, Surface-Effect Ships (SES), speed boats, and dynamic power systems as well as manufacturing, supplying and optimizing equipment and weapons mainly through home-grown and indigenized technologies, and conducting operational tests and providing logistic services based on new standards.
In August, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan underlined Iran's self-sufficiency in the marine industry. “We can design 500-ton submarines from top to toe and we are moving towards new propulsion systems to decrease the noise and increase their durability in water,” he said.
Also, a senior Iranian military official announced in October the country's self-sufficiency in building light submarines, adding that Iran plans to unveil new submarines soon.
There are three classes of submarines, Head of the Navy's Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Office General Ali Gholamzadeh said, adding that Iran had attained self-sufficiency in building “light” submarines.
He also said that Iran would unveil a home-made semi-heavy submarine in the coming months, and announced, “We are designing and building heavy and semi-heavy submarines, and the Fateh (Conqueror) submarine will be unveiled this (Iranian calendar) year (ending March 20, 2015).”
Also in September, Gholamzadeh announced the country's plans to launch Fateh submarines and different Mowj Class destroyers in the near future.
“We will soon launch the Fateh class submarines and the second, third, fourth and fifth version of Mowj class destroyers, and one of them will be unveiled this year,” he said in a press conference in Tehran.
He also announced that the construction of Fateh, a semi-heavy submarine with abundant possibilities, had ended, and the vessel is now under tests and would be launched on the Navy Day (November 28).
In June 2013, Iran launched its overhauled and modernized destroyer named Bayandor in the Southern waters of the country in the presence of Army Commander Major General Ataollah Salehi and Rear Admiral Sayyari.
Navy experts have also mounted a fire control system for the destroyer's weapons, a 76-mm and a 40-mm canons and a surface-to-surface Nour (Light) missile system on the destroyer.
Source: FNA
