New Upgraded Destroyers Damavand and Dena to Join Iran Navy.

Head of the Marine Industries Organization of Iran General Amir Rastegari announced that the Iranian Navy will be equipped with Damavand and Dena, new and upgraded destroyers, in the coming days.

Iran's Damavand frigate, on a visit to Baku in 2016. It was badly damaged in a storm (Picture source: Azerbaijan Ministry of Defense)

“Damavand and Dena destroyer will be equipped with surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-surface missiles, which boast higher speed, power and range than the earlier versions of missiles, and are easier in application and maintenance,” Rear Admiral Amir Rastegari said on Saturday.

The senior military official, meantime, announced that the propulsion systems of the destroyers have also been improved in a bid to bolster the Navy’s reaction pace in critical marine situations.

“We have achieved the technology to manufacture phased-array and optical radars, and we will install such systems on Dena and Damavand,” Rear Admiral Rastegari added.

The top commander hailed significant achievements of the marine industries by the help of domestic experts, he said that the mentioned radars have been offered to several foreign buyers, a number of which are among the industrialized countries.

Highlighting the vital role the marine industries and the naval forces play in the defending the country, which is linked to the free waters, the military chief noted that the Defense Ministry has geared up to become self-sufficient in this field by developing different strategic marine equipment, such as new propulsion systems, gasoline and diesel engines, power transmission systems, and monitoring systems.

Rear Admiral Rastegari stressed that destroyers and giant submarines will become a big part of the Iranian Navy’s flotilla in the near future.