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)
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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