Iran: Navy Adds Cruise Missiles, Choppers To Its Armory

The Iranian Navy on Sunday took delivery of a range of new homegrown weapons and equipment, including strategic cruise missile systems and helicopters suitable for electronic warfare. 

In an event attended by Army Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, the new weapons came into service at a coastal naval base in southern Iran.

The arms and equipment include the ‘Talayieh’ strategic cruise missile system, the Nasir cruise missile system, the Navy’s first electronic warfare helicopter and the first intelligence gathering chopper, surface-to-surface missile systems, the ‘Sanjar’ smart loitering and suicide drone carried by the Jamaran destroyer, a multipurpose drone system used for electronic warfare, a diver detection system, and the ‘Sirvan’ tug boat used in ports and anchorages.

In comments at the event, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said Talayieh is a smart cruise missile with a range of over 1,000 kilometers that can change course during flight and select a new target before surprising it.

The Nasir cruise missile with a range of over 100 kilometers has perfect destructive power and is mounted on various naval destroyers of different classes, the commander stated.

On the new naval choppers, the admiral said the aircraft have been furnished with a range of electronic warfare systems, have self-protection systems, and can deceive various missiles.

The advanced optical devices, intelligence gathering systems, and Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) systems installed on the copters allow them to carry out both naval combat and civilian maritime operations.