Iran to Launch New Home-Made Destroyer Soon

(FNA)- The Iranian Navy plans to launch one of its advanced home-made destroyers, named Damavand, in the country's territorial waters in the near future, Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said on Tuesday.

"Destroyer Damavand will join the Islamic Republic of Iran's Navy in the near future," Sayyari told FNA.

Elsewhere, he referred to the Iranian Navy's deployment in the international waters, and said, "Iran's 31st fleet of warships is sailing towards the region of its mission to replace the 30th fleet."

He said that the 31st fleet of warships consists of Bayandor destroyer and Bandar Abbas warship.

In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.

Tehran launched an arms development program during the 1980-88 Iraqi imposed war on Iran to compensate for a US weapons embargo. Since 1992, Iran has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles and fighter planes.

Yet, Iranian officials have always stressed that the country's military and arms programs serve defensive purposes and should not be perceived as a threat to any other country.

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.

Army officials said the Iranian Navy's power of safeguarding the country's territorial waters as well as maintaining security in regional and international waters will increase after the launch of Bayandor.

Overhauling the main engines, heat exchangers and fuel and oil systems as well as optimizing the monitoring control systems are among the measures adopted before launching the destroyer.

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.