Aircraft-carrier Oceangoing Warship Joins IRGC Navy Fleet

By Staff, Agencies

The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps [IRGC] Navy on Thursday received an oceangoing warship capable of carrying aircraft.

The homegrown oceangoing warship is named after Abdollah Rudaki, an IRGC Navy commander martyred in an assassination attack.

The Iranian vessel joined the IRGC Navy’s fleet in a ceremony attended by IRGC Chief Commander Major General Hossein Salami and several senior military officials.

The oceangoing warship, 150 meters in length and weighing 4,000 tons, is a multipurpose vessel for long-range operations. It is furnished with missiles, air defense systems, and radars.

Rudaki warship has been equipped with a 3-dimensional phased array radar, sea-to-sea and sea-to-air missiles, advanced communication systems for electronic warfare, and the ‘Khordad 3rd’ missile system.

The military vessel is capable of carrying helicopters, drones and attack boats.

The IRGC said the new warship, known as a mobile “marine city”, would carry out combat, reconnaissance and logistical missions in oceans with the purpose of ensuring sustainable security in maritime routes and rescuing trade vessels and fishing boats of Iran and regional countries.

The IRGC Navy had already expressed readiness to dispatch vessels to international waters.

While the Iranian Navy is tasked with protecting the territorial waters in the Sea of Oman, the IRGC Navy has undertaken to ensure security of the Iranian waters in the Gulf.

The IRGC Navy said the security of the Gulf will be ensured without the presence of foreign forces, particularly the Americans.