"Jamaran 2 destroyer has been built with the purpose of safeguarding the Islamic Republic of Iran's sea borders and supporting missions in combat against human, goods and narcotics trafficking in the Northern parts of the country," Brigadier General Vahidi said, addressing a ceremony for launching Jamaran 2 destroyer today.
The advanced home-made destroyer was launched in the Caspian Sea in an official ceremony attended today by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, and Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari.
Vahidi pointed to the defensive and offensive capabilities of Jamaran 2, and said that the destroyer is equipped with different types of artilleries, torpedoes, missiles and tactical radars.
Vahidi noted that the advanced destroyer, which is about 100 meters long and weighs more than 1,300 tons, is one of the most practical and multipurpose destroyers in the world which can even become an export product of the defense ministry in the future.
He said that Jamaran 2 will join the Navy's subsurface fleet in the first half of the next Iranian year (March 21-September 22) and after undergoing the final tests in the next two to three months.
Vahidi also noted that if Iran had purchased a destroyer similar to Jamaran 2, it would have cost the country four times more than its building expenses.
In a statement yesterday, the Iranian Defense Ministry said that the destroyer which has been designed and developed by Iranian experts uses the state-of-the-art navigation systems and domestically-made sophisticated defensive equipments.
The destroyer which is the symbol of power and capability of the Iranian naval industry will join the Navy's subsurface fleet in the first half of the next Iranian year (March 21 - September 22) after undergoing final tests, the statement noted.
Earlier this week, the Iranian defense minister had said that the advanced Jamaran 2 destroyer, which has been designed and developed by Iranian experts at the defense ministry's naval industries organization, will be launched in the Caspian Sea in the near future.
Iran's first home-made destroyer, Jamaran, was launched in late February 2010. The Mowdge Class vessel has a displacement of around 14,000 tons and is equipped with modern radars and electronic warfare capabilities and is armed with a variety of anti-ship, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles.
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