Iranian Naval Forces Take Delivery Of Long-Range Anti-Ship Cruise Miss…
On July 25, Iranian naval forces took delivery of a batch of Abu Mahdi long-range anti-ship cruise missiles, to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
The cruise missile, which is named after former Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units deputy commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, was first unveiled on 20 August 2020 along with a ballistic missile named after former Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. The two senior commanders were killed together in a United States drone strike that took place near the international airport of the Iraqi capital, Bahgada, earlier that year.
New Abu Mahdi missiles were handed over to Iranian naval forces during a ceremony that was held at Parchin, a military site located southeast of the capital Tehran.
The design of the Abu Mahdi cruise missile is derived from the Soviet-era Kh-55, several of which were illegally sold to Iran by Ukraine in 2001. The turbojet-propelled winged missile has a range of up to 1,000 kilometers.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, IRGC Navy Commander Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri said a main feature of the new missile is keeping the enemy away from the Iranian coasts.
“We can fire the Abu Mahdi missile from deep inside the country. The missile has a dual seeker and performs successfully against the enemy’s electronic warfare,” Tasnim quoted the commander as saying.
Tangsiri added that the cruise missile can force the enemies’ aircraft carriers to stay at least 2,000 kilometers away from Iran’s coastlines, making fighter jets on board the warships practically “ineffective.”
The commander noted that the missile can be fired either from a vessel or a coastal launch pad, hunt multiple targets, and hit the target from various directions.
“Since the missile has a very low service ceiling and a very long range, it could be hardly tracked,” Tangsiri explained.
Last May, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani revealed in an interview with Fars News agency that the Iranian Navy had armed its largest warships with Abu Mahdi cruise missiles.
Iran speeded up the development and production of cruise missiles in recent years. In February, the Aerospace Force of the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps unveiled a land-attack cruise missile, dubbed Paveh, with a range of 1,650 kilometers.
The new Iranian announcement comes as the U.S. is expanding its military presence in the Middle East, especially in the Persian Gulf, to deter and intimidate Tehran.
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