Iran Readying to Launch Home-Made Fateh Submarine

(FNA)- The Iranian Navy is due to launch its new home-made submarine, 'Fateh', in the coming stages of the Mohammad Rasoulallah (PBUH) wargames underway in the Southern waters of the country.

"The Fateh submarine will go under operational testing during the present drills by the Navy," Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habobollah Sayyari told reporters on Saturday.

Noting that Fateh which is the new generation of Iran's submarines has not been launched officially yet, he said, the vessel will be tested in operation during the current exercises.

Elsewhere, Sayyari announced Iran's preparedness to stage joint drills with the neighboring countries.

The Iranian Navy commander had said in August that Iran would unveil 'Fateh' soon.

Iran announced in April 2013 that it had increased the power and efficiency of the missiles and torpedoes mounted on its newly-made Fateh submarines.

"Naturally, the power of Fateh's missiles and torpedoes are more than Qadir (class) submarines (which are equipped with sonar-evading technology and can fire missiles and torpedoes simultaneously)," Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Gholam Reza Khadem Biqam told FNA at the time.

Different units of the Iranian Army's Ground Force, Navy, Air Force and Air Defense started six days of massive joint military drills along the country's Southern and Southeastern coasts on Thursday.

The military exercises codenamed Mohammad Rasoulallah (PBUH) cover an area of 2.2 million square kilometers from the East of the Strait of Hormuz to the Southern parts of the Gulf of Aden.