The IRGC Navy Adds 95 Speedboats and the Shahid Mahdavi Warship To Its Fleet
On 9 March, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy commissioned the Shahid Mahdavi offshore warship, which Iran Shipbuilding & Offshore Industries Complex converted from an old container ship for naval needs. Major General Hossein Salami, Commander of the Revolutionary Guards, and Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri, Commander of the Revolutionary Guards Naval Forces, attended the ceremony in Bandar Abbas, the capital of the Hormuzgan province in southern Iran, where a fast combat support ship called “Shahid Ghorbani” and nearly 100 Ashura and Tariq class speedboats also joined the Revolutionary Guards Navy fleet.
Speaking at the delivery ceremony, Revolutionary Guards Naval Forces Commander Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri stated that the incorporation of new vessels and boats into the IRGC Navy is “an important and effective step in improving the level of naval combat power,” according to the Iranian government’s semi-official Mehr News Agency. According to Iran’s Press TV news agency, Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri also stated that the “Shahid Mahdavi warship is like a mobile maritime city ready to carry out ocean missions… to create sustainable security of sea communication lines and provide aid to the Islamic Republic’s commercial and fishing fleets and regional countries.”
In his speech, the IRGC Navy commander also shared the features of the new offshore warship and refurbished boats. The Shahid Mahdavi offshore warship, which weighs 2,100 tons and has a length of 240 meters and a width of 27 meters, can carry a 3D phased array radar, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, advanced communication systems for electronic warfare, various types of helicopters, drones, and a speedboat, according to the commander. Tangsiri reported that the upgraded versions of the Ashura and Tariq class speedboats can launch rockets with ranges ranging from 10 to 180 kilometers, and that the boats have high maneuverability and are designed to serve in challenging weather conditions.