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First indigenous hovercraft to join Iran’s Navy next year: Rear Admiral Khanzadi

Monday, 08 March 2021 6:13 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 08 March 2021 6:26 PM ]

Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi, Iran’s Navy commander

Iran’s Navy commander says the first indigenous hovercraft is slated to join the country's naval fleet next year.

Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi was reported by Fars news agency as making the announcement in a meeting of deputy commanders of the Iranian Navy on Monday.

The hovercraft, he highlighted, has been built by young Iranian specialists.

Khanzadi said all surface and subsurface units of the Navy are currently equipped with domestic missiles, and that missiles with vertical flight capability would be installed and operated on the country's surface vessels.

“Through the perseverance of young Iranian specialists in the Navy, we have been able to achieve 100% self-sufficiency in all areas of repair and equipment,” the commander said.

Khanzadi pointed to last month's joint naval drill between the Iranian and Russian navies in the North Indian Ocean and described as “effective and promising” the reflection of holding such exercises at the national and international level for the entire armed forces and for the country.

Iranian, Russian navies display firepower on 1st day of joint drills

Iranian and Russian military vessels conduct the first stage of planned naval maneuvers in the Sea of Oman and the northern part of the Indian Ocean.

He went on to say that the message of the joint drill for friends and neighbors was peace and friendship, and, for the enemy, a demonstration of naval authority and collective security without the presence of foreigners and extra-regional countries.

The exercise saw a variety of locally manufactured long-range missiles, drones, tanks, warships, submarines and helicopters tested on land, sea and air targets.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said at the time that the joint drills by Iran, China and Russia reaffirmed the Islamic Republic’s resolve to secure vital waterways.

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