Alwaght- The newly unveiled Shahid Soleimani warship will enable the IRGC Navy to establish a “strong presence” in high seas, said the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) navy.
Brigadier General Alireza Tangsiri said in remarks on Saturday that the name of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated by the US military in 2020 in Baghdad's airport, will resonate through all seas and oceans across the globe with Shahid (martyr) Soleimani warship joining the IRGC Navy’ combat fleets.
The homegrown vessel, which is 67 meters long and 18 meters wide, enjoys various features, including stable balance in international waters, carrying helicopters, electronic warfare systems, air defense systems, and missile launchers of different classes, said General Tangsiri.
“Today, with the addition of Martyr Haj Qassem Soleimani vessel to the IRGC Navy’s combat organization, the name of this high-ranking martyr resonates through all seas and oceans. They (enemies) will have to call out the name of Martyr Soleimani whenever it is necessary,” Iran's Broadcaster Press TV quoted him as saying.
It is a source of national pride, he said, adding that every single component of the vessel was produced by Iranian scientists.
"Shahid Soleimani vessel is a symbol of national production and a source of pride, and more attention must be paid to its construction and production process, because it has been built by the ideas and hands of the Islamic Revolution’s children under the harsh conditions of the cowardly sanctions imposed by the arrogant oppressors of the world,” he continued.
The IRGC navy unveiled the patrol-combat vessel last Monday, during a ceremony in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Shahid Soleimani military watercraft is equipped with radar-evading stealth technology and has a much higher maneuverability and a much smaller turning radius compared to vessels of the same size, enabling it to implement various offensive and defensive missions.
The vessel runs on four indigenous high-power engines, which give it the chance to be quickly dispatched to the designated zone, and go on long-haul maritime missions without the need for coastal support as it defends the interests of the Islamic Republic in the high seas.
