Iran launches ‘cruise missile capable’ submarine
On 17 February 2019, Iran launched a new locally-made submarine capable of firing cruise missiles, state TV said, in the country’s latest show of military might at a time of heightened tensions with the US.
The launch ceremony, led by President Hassan Rouhani, took place in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas. ‘Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran is fully self-reliant on land, air and sea,’ Rouhani said. ‘Our defensive power is meant to defend our interests and we have never sought to attack any country,’ he added.
Named the Fateh (Farsi for ‘Conqueror’), Fars news agency said the new submarine is Iran’s first in the semi-heavy category, filling a gap between the light Ghadir class and the heavy Kilo class submarines that the country possesses.
Fars said the near 600-tonne underwater vessel is equipped with torpedoes and naval mines in addition to cruise missiles, and can operate more than 200 metres below sea level for up to 35 days.
The US withdrew from a 2015 multilateral nuclear deal with Iran in May 2018 and re-imposed biting unilateral sanctions later last year.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on February 7 unveiled a new ballistic missile with a range of 1,000 km, according to the elite unit’s official media agency Sepah News.
The surface-to-surface missile - called Dezful - is an upgrade on the older Zolfaghar model that had a range of 700 km, aerospace commander Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh said.
Rouhani said on Sunday that ‘pressure by enemies, the (Iran-Iraq) war and sanctions’ were incentives for Tehran to be self-reliant in its defence industry. ’Maybe we would not have this motivation to industrialise our defence sector,’ he said, if Iran could just buy the weaponry it needed.
Iran’s top military brass and cabinet ministers attended the ceremony.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition]()
Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition
Australia’s mine countermeasure capability remains in flux as the Huon-class nears retirement, but accelerated investment in autonomous systems is opening a path for industry.
-
![Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?]()
Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.
-
![How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?]()
How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?
With Canada committed to its River-class replacement and the USN pursuing a lower-cost frigate, Rheinmetall will need to demonstrate where the GMF 140 can fill a capability gap in the North American fleet.
-
![Australian industry programme builds pipeline for Virginia-class sustainment]()
Australian industry programme builds pipeline for Virginia-class sustainment
Australian businesses can now bid to support Virginia-class submarine sustainment in Western Australia, as momentum around the Henderson Defence Precinct also builds.
-
![South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest]()
South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest
Washington’s search for a foreign-built frigate could hand South Korea, Japan and Turkey a larger prize than a double-hull order: a foothold inside the US shipbuilding industrial base.
