Iranian naval forces have tested newly acquired land-to-sea and sea-to-sea cruise missiles. This occurred during the so-called "Ramadan Martyrs" drills conducted in the Sea of Oman and in the northern part of the Indian Ocean.
The missiles, the newest product of the Iranian defence industry, were fired from ground-based launchers and from the Iranian Navy's warships, successfully hitting their designated targets around 280 kilometres away. The military said that the missiles' effective range might be increased in the future.
The military exercise's name apparently refers to an incident that took place on 10 May in the Sea of Oman, where an Iranian support ship, the Konarak, was severely damaged in a "friendly fire" incident. The tragic event claimed the lives of 19 servicemen , leaving 15 more injured.
Iran has been actively running naval war games in the region amid continuing US military presence in the Persian Gulf. Tehran has repeatedly demanded that Washington withdraw its forces, arguing that they have no positive impact on the region's security. Iran insists that the region's states can ensure its security on their own.
Iran will soon begin the manufacture of a new class of supersonic cruise missiles known as the Talaeey-e to complement the subsonic weapons currently in service, Navy Commander Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi has announced.
“In the near future, we have on the agenda the production of supersonic missiles, which use Turbofan engines to fly several times the speed of sound,” the commander said, his comments cited by Iranian media.
According to Khanzadi, the missiles’ engines will receive upgrades to withstand higher temperatures over a longer period of time, with refueling and navigation systems also subject to improvements. “Today we have reached the range of 300 km, and we will achieve more exciting ranges in the near future,” the commander said.
Furthermore, the commander noted, in addition to the new missiles, Iran’s Navy will seek to develop vertical launch capability to allow more missiles to be fitted onto the decks of its surface warships. At the moment, cell-based VLSs are employed by the US and allied navies, with Russia, China, India, Japan and South Korea also using the technology in ships ranging from corvettes and frigates to destroyers, cruisers and aircraft carriers.
Iran’s Navy test-fired a new generation cruise missile on Thursday, with the weapons, launched from both trucks and ships, said to have destroyed targets at ranges of up to 280 km, and to be resistant to electronic warfare.
On Saturday, Iranian Defence Minister Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami indicated that Iran’s military industry has reached an extremely high level of self-sufficiency, enabling it to produce everything from equipment for the army, navy and air force to electronic systems and radar technology.
“The enemy is too afraid of this defence power and Iran’s military authority, especially in the area of missile capability,” Hatami said , speaking at a ceremony dedicated to the death of Mostafa Chamran, an Iranian commander killed in 1981 during the Iran-Iraq War. According to Hatami, Iran’s adversaries have recognized Iran’s progress, and have sought to limit the country’s development using “cruel sanctions.”
In recent years, Iran has resisted US and European pressure to reduce its missile power, citing the need to defend itself against foreign aggression. The country is known to possess over 1,000 short and medium-range missiles, and is reported to have ramped up development and production following the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018, and multiple incidents in the Gulf ranging from tanker sabotage to ship seizures, drone shootdowns, and the US assassination of a senior Iranian general in Baghdad in January. Tehran responded to the latter by firing multiple missiles at US bases in Iraq, which left over 100 US troops with traumatic brain injuries.
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