Domestically-built destroyer Dena and minehunter Shahin have joined the Iranian Navy’s fleet in a ceremony attended by President Hassan Rouhani via videoconference.
Speaking at the ceremony in Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Monday morning, the head of the Defense Ministry’s Marine Industries Organization said the Dena is the fifth missile-launching destroyer that has joined the Navy in recent years.
“This destroyer was fully built by the Defense Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and completed with the supervision and participation of the Navy,” Rear Admiral Amir Rastegari said.
According to Rastegari, the homegrown destroyer is different from its peers in terms of facilities, equipment and performance, and its final stages of production and testing were completed in the previous Iranian year, which ended on April 20.
He said the Dena’s fire-control system is one of the newest systems made by the country’s electronics industry and is able to track 40 targets and deal with more than 5 targets simultaneously.
“A highly advanced electronic warfare system has been installed on this destroyer and the spectrum of its radio band has been widened,” he added.
Rastegari also said that the Shahin minehunter is 33 meters long and 11 meters wide, with a draft of 180 centimeters high. It has been produced by the young Iranian experts at the Marine Industries Organization.
“Since this homegrown vessel benefits from state-of-the-art technology, tracking and neutralizing various types of naval mines are among the capabilities of the Shahin minehunter,” the admiral added.
‘Depth of Iran’s strategic defense increased’
Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami also spoke at the ceremony, saying that the sea has provided unique opportunities for the country in various fields.
“By joining the Iranian Navy, the Dena destroyer increased the strategic depth of the Islamic Iran in defending its interests in the sea,” Hatami said.
He said the Islamic Republic of Iran has 2,500 kilometers of maritime boundary, especially in the south, which has created many opportunities for the country.
Rouhani: Iran armed forces also protect neighbors
Addressing the ceremony, President Rouhani said the Iranian armed forces have never sought to invade any country, telling Iran’s neighbors that the Islamic Republic’s military protects them as well.
He said it’s a very good day for the people of Iran, the Iranian Navy and the armed forces.
Rouhani explained that Iranian experts managed to build a “very important destroyer” from scratch in eight years.
“Today, the Defense Ministry completed a very large project and handed over two ships to the Navy of the Islamic Republic’s Army,” he said.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the president said the Iranian nation and government have emerged victorious in the face of the United States’ economic war through their resistance and perseverance.
“Today, we are witnessing the joining of two ships to the Navy of the Islamic Republic’s Army, which were built during these eight years of the eleventh and twelfth administrations. This shows that no pressure or war can bring the nation and the government to their knees,” he added.