Shahid Soleimani catamaran enhances Iranian naval capabilities
The new IRGC(N) missile corvette Shahid Soleimani is designed to operate in oceanic conditions and heavy sea states. (Photo: Tasnim)
Is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy showing its hand to expand beyond the Straits of Hormuz?
The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGC(N)) announced the delivery of three new ships in early September, with the most interesting being the corvette-sized catamaran Shahid Soleimani, named after former IRGC Gen Qassem Soleimani who was killed in a US strike in January 2020.
Photos of the Shahid Soleimani were shared by the state-run Tasnim News Agency during a ceremony in Bandar Abbas.
Available open-source intelligence obtained from satellite imagery during the construction phase indicates that the new catamaran is about 65m long, similar to the Tuo Chiang-class missile corvette in service in Taiwan with the Republic
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