Iranian Destroyer’s Missile Power Quadrupled
Beating its own record for the Iranian Navy’s destroyer with the highest number of cruise missiles, Sabalan has been armed with more anti-ship cruise missiles, Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said.
The Navy chief told Tasnim that the missile capabilities of Sabalan have quadrupled in terms of the diversity and range of missiles in comparison with its initial mode.
He said the Sabalan destroyer is now furnished with 16 anti-ship cruise missiles.
The general noted that the upgraded version of the military vessel will be unveiled soon.
With a weight of 1,500 tons, Sabalan was previously furnished with only four ‘Qader’ and ‘Qadir’ cruise missiles.
The destroyer, which has taken part in many overseas missions as part of the Iranian Navy’s flotillas, is an Alvand-class warship that had been purchased under the name of ‘Rostam’ from the UK before the victory of the Islamic Revolution.
Sabalan is thought to have been armed with a new long-range strategic cruise missile, named after Iraqi resistance commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, which the Iranian Navy received in July 2023.
With a range of over 1,000 kilometers, the homegrown naval cruise missile would expand Iran’s naval defense coverage zone several times and allow the Navy units to broaden their operational range.
Known as the first long-range naval cruise missile whose trajectory definition and command-and-control systems have been equipped with artificial intelligence, the missile can streak at low altitudes for radar-evading maneuvers and alter its course and height in midair.
