Alvand Class (Vosper Mk 5)
Operator: | Iran |
Status: | In Service |
Number: | 3 (was 4) |
Ships: | 71 Alvand (formerly DE12 Saam) |
72 Alborz (formerly DE14 Zaal) | |
73 Sabalan (formerly DE16 Rostam) | |
74 Sahand (formerly DE18) (Sunk April 18, 1988) | |
Cost: | Unknown |
Acquired: | 1971-1972 |
General Specs: | |
Country of origin: | United Kingdom |
Class: | Frigate |
Manufacturer: | Vosper Thornycroft, Vickers |
Introduced: | 1968 |
Displacement: | 1250 tons (1540 tons full load) |
Length: | 310 ft (94.5 m) |
Beam: | 36 ft (11 m) |
Draft: | 10.8 ft (3.3 m) |
Hull Material: | Unknown |
Propullsion: | 2 x Rolls-Royce Olympus TM-3A gas turbine |
2 x Paxman 16-cyl Ventura diesel | |
Speed: | 39 knots |
Range: | 4,859 nm |
Fuel Capacity: | Unknown |
Crew: | 135 |
Armament: | |
Guns: | 1 x 4.5 inch (114mm) Vickers MK8 |
2 x 12.7 50 cal. Machine guns | |
Anti-air: | 1 x dual 35mm 90 cal Oerlikon AA |
2 x 20mm Oerlikon GAM-B01 AA | |
Anti-ship: | 4 x C-802 (YJ-2) anti-ship missiles |
(formerly Sea Killer and Sea Cat missile systems) | |
Other: | 2 x 81mm mortar |
1 x Limbo MK10 mortar | |
2 x 12.75 inch torpedo tubes | |
Radar/Sensors: | |
Defense/Countermeasures: | |
Other: |
Iranian Warship Points Weapon at U.S. Helicopter, Official Says
An Iranian warship briefly pointed weapons on its deck at a U.S. military helicopter and coalition warship two weeks ago in the Gulf of Aden, a Defense official told CNN on Wednesday. The two ships were just a few hundred yards apart on July 25 when Iranian crewmembers pointed what are believed to be on-deck […]
Iran Dispatches Naval Flotilla to Gulf of Aden
Iran dispatched a naval flotilla to the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, a move that could raise tensions between the Islamic Republic and a Saudi-led coalition conducting a military campaign in Yemen, which borders the waterway. The Iranian 34th flotilla, which includes a destroyer and a logistics vessel, headed for the Gulf to protect Iranian […]
Navy Commander: Iranian Warships Equipped with Hi-Tech Systems
Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said Iran’s warships have been equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, adding that the home-made destroyer, ‘Damavand’, will join the country’s Caspian fleet in March. “Iranian warships have been equipped with the most advanced technologies,” Sayyari told FNA on Tuesday. Referring to the launch of Iran’s home-made Jamaran destroyer in the […]
Iran Navy Eyes Stronger Presence in High Seas
Iran’s Navy commander said his force is capable enough to expand its presence in high seas given its indigenous potential to manufacture heavier destroyers and cruise ships. “The more we want to advance into high seas, the heavier destroyers and cruise ships we need and we have technical facilities and knowhow to domestically manufacture such […]
Commander: Navy’s 30th Flotilla Berths in Dar As-Salaam
Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced that the Navy’s 30th Flotilla of warships dispatched to the high seas has berthed in Tanzania’s port of Dar As-Salaam. “The 30th Fleet of the Iranian Navy has docked at Tanzania’s Port of Dar As-Salaam in line with the Islamic Republic’s strategy of expanding its naval presence […]
Iran Sends Warships to Atlantic
Two Iranian warships set sail Tuesday for the Atlantic Ocean on their navy’s first-ever mission there, state TV reported. The voyage comes amid an ongoing push by Iran to demonstrate the ability to project power across the Middle East and beyond. The report said that the destroyer Sabalan and the logistic helicopter carrier Khark will […]
Iran Navy Saves Cargo Ship Attacked By Pirates
A senior Iranian commander says the country’s naval forces have rescued an Iranian merchant vessel which had come under attack by pirates in the Arabian Sea. Admiral Shahram Irani, Iranian Navy’s second-in-command to the deputy commander for operations, said that the Iranian freighter came under attack in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday morning after […]
Iran’s Navy Thwarts Pirate Attacks on Iranian Oil Tanker
Iranian Navy’s 28th fleet of warships foiled pirate attacks on the country’s oil tanker which had been besieged by pirates in the Indian Ocean, a senior navy commander said on Wednesday. Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Navy for Operations Admiral Siavash Jareh announced on Wednesday that the country’s naval forces foiled a pirate attack against […]
Corvettes of the Persian Gulf: A Strategic Survey
The Persian Gulf has long been a waterway of strategic importance. On average, $105 billion worth of goods are exchanged between Iran and the Gulf states each year. In addition, approximately 20% of the world’s petroleum traverses the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage between the Persian Gulf and the open seas. Clearly, ensuring the […]
Iran’s Maritime Mirage
Iran is doing enough damage in the Middle East through unconventional methods without requiring a robust navy. That is why an idea floated by a key Iranian military leader to build naval bases in Yemen and Syria makes absolutely no sense. Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of Iran’s armed forces general staff, suggested last month that […]
Tehran Deploys Warships to Red Sea as Tension Escalates in Yemen
Iran’s conventional Navy, known by its Persian acronym NEDAJA, reportedly deployed two vessels to international waters surrounding Yemen yesterday. First reported in the semi-official Iranian press, the story has also been noted in the Western press, where it was framed as part of the larger Saudi-Iranian rivalry, and the ongoing war in Yemen. The official […]