Iran’s New, Ahem, Destroyer
Updated. Thanks tangosix for the video!
Depending on your definition of destroyer! The Iranian media is touting the launch of this small light frigate or corvette as a major achievement. Defense News has some not exactly accurate details:
Iran’s navy launched its first domestically made destroyer in the Persian Gulf on Feb. 19 in a ceremony attend by the supreme leader and the commander-in-chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the media reported.
“Iran’s navy on Friday took the delivery of the first indigenously designed and developed guided missile destroyer “Jamaran” in the Persian Gulf,” Iran’s English-language Press TV reported.The vessel has a displacement of around 14,000 tons and is equipped with modern radars and electronic warfare capabilities, the report said.
Really, only 1400 tons displacement. Here are the specs for this Moudge class frigate, via the Iranians themselves:
- Length-94m
- Draft-3.1m
- Displacement-1400 tons light
- Speed-28 knots
- Armament:(Estimated)
4 x C-802 (or maybe improved C-803) anti-ship missiles or 4 x HY-2 (CSSC-3)
1 × 76 mm Fajr-27 naval gun
1 x twin 35 mm AAA
Additional specs are via Wikipedia.
New Wars 
Hmm it appears like your website ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I submitted
and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog.
I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to everything.
Do you have any suggestions for novice blog writers?
I’d really appreciate it.
Two more photos of the Iranian “destroyer” Jamaran have made an appearance over at Military Photos. The first provides a good look at that aft 40 mm AAA gun and a pair of Iranian clerics standing dockside in their long, voluminous robes. The second photo shows an Iranian sailor firing away with a 20 mm (or a 25 mm, maybe?) cannon.
Unfortunately [:-))], you first have to pass through eight other photos depicting the saving of numerous Canadian college students by the Brazilian Navy’s frigate Constituicao (F42). The students’ ship sank 300 miles east of the Brazilian coast and they were taken to Rio de Janeiro following their rescue from the sea. Please try and disregard the depictions of many young female college students shown wearing just shorts and tanktops as they disembark from the Brazilian frigate. Instead, progress down to the ninth and tenth photos to view the imagery of the Jamaran and those robed Iranian Clerics.
Just scroll down to posting # 32 in the following thread page:
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?174828-Today-s-photos-Tuesday-February-23-2010/page3
Here’s something humorous in regards to this class of small combatants. Wikipedia has them listed under two different names & classifications. They’re being treated as two different, separate classes of warships…
Jamaran Destroyer class
Jamaran is the name of Iran’s first domestically produced destroyer launched in early 2010. Iran said that the manufacture of Jamaran and the missile boat Paykan were among the greatest achievements of the Iranian Navy and the destroyer’s launch marks a major technological leap for Iran’s naval industries. It is the first ship of its class. More ships in its class are under construction. The ship is designed for a crew of 140. The Jamaran is much smaller than other contemporary defined destroyers. The Jamaran-class combine traditional anti-submarine capabilities with systems to deal with surface and air threats as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaran_class_destroyer
Moudge class frigate
The Moudge class, alternately spelled Mowaj class or Mowj class (meaning Wave), is a class of domestically produced Iranian light frigates. It appears to be a development of the Alvand class (British Saam class) design. They are described Destroyers by the Iranian state media but the size and weight of the ships are more in keeping with that of modern frigates. With a 1,400 ton displacement, the ships are also referred to as Corvettes since they are on the lower end of frigate tonnage.
The first ship, Moudge I is said to be completed and is stationed in the port of Bandar Abbas. On February 23, 2007, Iranian media reported that production had started on a second ship, Moudge II.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moudge_class_frigate
Mooch class, small light frigate. Slightly Russianized early MEKO with a touch of Brit. A few guns (who knows what’s really in those missile containers …), a few other visible bits and pieces of 1970’s electronics. Very underwhelming. They’d better build a copy of their old Sumners than this here.
Having only a flight deck, but no hangar, is actually a sensible move in view of the rather littoral nature of the Iranian navy.
P.S.: It’s a pitty that these intelligent and talented people – the Persians – are living in these scheisshaus condidtions.
D.E. Thanks for those links. Very interesting.
Here’s some more imagery of the new Iranian “destroyer” Jamaran from Military Photos.
First, scroll down to posting # 50 in this thread page for a CG drawing of Jamaran and her weapons fit.
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?174614-Iran-Launches-1st-Mowj-Class-Frigate/page4
Here are three additional, better-detailed pictures of Jamaran. Scroll down to posting # 77 in this thread page.
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?174614-Iran-Launches-1st-Mowj-Class-Frigate/page6
Heretic,
Given some of the ‘retro’ weapons fit, then maybe so…
Single automatic 76 mm DP cannon, forward;
Single automatic 40 mm AA cannon, aft;
Two single automatic 20 mm cannon, forward, unpowered & manned;
Two triple tube torpedo launchers for 12.75 inch diameter ASW topedoes;
Four box launchers for AShM / SSM missiles;
Four box launchers for Standard SM-1MR SAM missiles;
A single light to medium weight helicopter landing space (no hanger).
Half the tonnage and more than twice the weaponry. Wonder if it costs 1/10th as much as an LCS …
Looks like a grave threat to me… especially if you’re on a LCS running at night with your radar OOC. Of course, a rabid can opener could take out that high-speed Reynolds Wrap Warship.
mac ,if you don’t like americans what are you doing in a american blog?You want to get a argument?Go to Defense Tech andsaid the same thing that you said here.They are not so polite like this blog
Here’s another view of decommissioned Iranian DDG Babr (D7) taken in 1977. The amidships box launchers for SM-1MR SAMs are clearly visible. The hatch of the port aft launcher even resembles the visible hatch of the box launcher visible on the newly commissioned Jamaran (click on the picture to zoom in for that close-up view).
Babr was commissioned into the Iranian Navy in 1973. She and another ex-Allen M. Sumner class DD (D9 Palang) would appear to have had sixteen of the SM-1MR box launchers between the two of them. If allotted at four per Mowj class “destroyer,” then that will allow for four of the new class to be so armed with recycled 1970s SAM technology.
“They don’t know even how bad their strategic situation is today in stead make them entertained with empty headed discussions of everyone else shortcoming.”
Loud snicker. I couldn’t resist. You very clearly have not spent much time on this blog, if any at all. Of the many things it is, the overriding theme is one that is often very critical of the US Navy and the way it pursues ship acquisition, smaller ships in particular, and very concerned about, and constantly discussing, the continued decline of our naval force and its capabilites overall.
Secondarily, but still a key compenent of this site is that ALL naval vessels from ALL corners of the world are discussed at length by the blog owner and the many informed commentors, many with a great deal of direct experience. The good, the bad, and the ugly..all in the mix, and quite fairly so. And again, , if you had actually spent any time here, you would know that, on the main, there is typically more admiration and respect in evidence, on this site, for many foreign navy vessels than there is for those designed and built in the US.
But you would know all that …if you had read for a while first. ;-)
Those box launchers on the aft superstructure of Jamaran turn out to be her complement of SAMs. They are in fact four elevating box launchers for Standard SM-1 SAMs. This means that Jamaran is armed with a total of four SSMs and four SAMs.
An earlier implementation of these launchers can be seen in this photo of the Iranian DDG D7 Babr (an ex-Allen M. Sumner class DD of the USN). D7 Babr carried eight of those box launchers. Jamaran would appear to be limited to just four.
Also, in the seventh of eight hi-res photos showing the ship the lid of a launcher can clearly be seen. Those eight photos appear in posting # 49 of this thread at Military Photos:
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?174614-Iran-Launches-1st-Mowj-Class-Frigate/page4
The same set of photos can be seen in posting #695 of another thread at Military photos:
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?128802-Photos-and-News-of-Small-Navy-of-the-World!/page47
Actually I expected you to do that are why American has the most wrong perception of the world around them selves. They don’t know even how bad their strategic situation is today in stead make them entertained with empty headed discussions of everyone else shortcoming. You would have proved it otherwise if you did let my answer to empty headed comments although I´m good familiar with your censorship in US. I never took this forum seriously.
elgatoso-You’re right. They can call them anything they want!
Mac, I trashed your comments not because you called us “common people”, which I thought hilarious, but for delving too much into politics, which we try to steer clear of here. Find it makes the discussion go much smoother.
The Mahan-class destroyers served in the United States Navy before and during World War II.Displacement: 1,450 tons
Moudge class frigate only 1400 tons displacement.Technically,you could call it a destroyer.
Where you come from,mac?
Trolls are always easy to spot ..in addition to a general disregard for facts, they use numbers that are wildly inaccurate: “with 15 trillion dollars foreign debts to China and Japan,”. You can drop a zero off that and you would be closer to the truth. ;-)
Planeman over at Military Photos is now wondering whether those boxes fitted aft on Jamaran’s superstructure might be ballistic missile launchers. Elevate them on hydraulic arms and that would make them into two vertical launchers. Instead of deploying a SSBN the Iranians may have commissioned a FFGB.
mac, my bobble is just fine. And if this was a military dictatorship, you and I wouldn’t be writing the stuff we are writing, just what the “Dear Leader” wanted us to read, like the poor Iranians must.
For those whose every time any other country than US developing or representing something technological trying to minimize and patronize it : I have a news for you weak up and smell the coffee: with 15 trillion dollars foreign debts to China and Japan, the end of US military dictatorship in the world is near. Sorry to bust your “bobble”.
For those whose every time any other country than US developing or representing something technological trying to minimize and patronize it : I have a news for you weak up and smell the coffee: with 15 trillion dollars foreign debts to China and Japan, the end of US military dictatorship in the world is near. Sorry to bust your bobble.
Jane’s Fighting Ships lists it as a member of the Alvand class from Vosper in the mid 1960s, although with some mods in the engineering plant and weapons fit — a bit hard for them to get a Vickers 4.5 inch mount what with the sanctions and all that.
Tangosix,
Given past Soviet Navy practices with switching hull numbers, I’m not even gonna git close to a discussion of this little Iranian boat’s designation (however variable it might be).
As to the 40 mm AAA mount, my first impression was that it is manned. It seemed to be a close copy of post-WW-II 40 mm utilized by the RN and other allied navies. But then, I viewed the videos and noted the quick reaction time of the mount and considered it then to be an automated mount (unmanned). Perhaps you are correct and so maybe I’m wrong. Still, the mount is using a variant of the WW-II era clip feed for 40 mm Bofors guns. That is archaic, whether the system is manned or automated…
Hello,
it might help if I actually posted the link to that video:
tangosix.
Hello,
that 75 should be 76.
tangosix.
Hello D. E. Reddick,
I was just wondering what those things were.
I have now seen three pennant numbers on the ship which is supposed to be Jamaran,57,71 and 75.
The 40mm is manned,see the last few seconds of this clip:
Incidentally,I understand I have a doppelganger who posts on militaryphotos.
Immitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
tangosix.
Planeman has some additional information regarding this new “destroyer” type of Iranian corvette.
Bluffer’s Guide to Iranian Naval Power
http://planeman-bluffersguide.blogspot.com/2007/03/bluffers-guide-to-iranian-naval-power.html
Duplicate information source: Mowj Class Corvette
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?174614-Iran-Launches-1st-Mowj-Class-Frigate/page2
Scroll down to posting # 20 of this Military Photos thread and examine the two photos with red circles around the ends of the two deck-mounted boxes positioned just forward of the aft 40 mm AAA gun mount. Could they be SAM launch canisters (not likely)? But, what about something analogous to TLAM cruise missile box launchers? Who knows, but they are there – on deck…
Hello,
those 20mm cannons look like BMARC GAMB01s.
Unless they have changed the pennant number,there are at least two different vessels shown in this video,numbers 75 and 57:
http://guerrasionista.com/en/category/armada/
It looks like a reasonable vessel for policing Iranian waters.
tangosix.
It’s easy to knock em’ but the Iranians have joined a relatively small club of nations able to build such things.
Hello Mike Burleson,
if they could just shave a four hundred tonnes off it,the Iranians would have that 1,000 tonne corvette you often talk about.
tangosix.
Mike,
Wikipedia has it wrong, in this case (as I’ve already posted).
There’s a second video of this so-called DDG (i.e., corvette) at Military Photos and it shows some of the vessel’s weapons fit along with the photos already there. Here’s my best (but, limited) estimate of what its weapons appear to be:
Single automatic 76 mm DP cannon, forward (copy of the OtoBreda 76 mm / 62 cal. cannon);
Single automatic 40 mm AA cannon, aft & unmanned (it sports what appears to be an ‘improved’ version of the vertical clip feed mechanism of WW-II era 40 mm Bofors cannon);
Two single automatic 20 mm cannon, forward, unpowered & manned (featuring WW-II era-like shoulder supports for a standing gunner);
Two triple tube torpedo launchers, presumably armed with 12.75 inch diameter ASW topedoes;
Four tube launchers for AShM / SSM and presumably armed with something like Chinese C-802 cruise missiles;
A single light to medium weight helo – a single UH-1 Huey is shown in photos & videos.
Having looked at many photos and two videos, I still haven’t noticed anything that resembles an actual SAM launcher installation. Perhaps I’ve missed it, but if so then I have to wonder where the Iranians have hidden the SAM system.
It really does look like something that might have been introduced circa the early 1970s to perhaps the late ’80s.