Image source: topwar.ru
Today, on February 6, in the port city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, a solemn ceremony was held for the commissioning of a new aircraft carrier for drones into the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, named after IRGC commander Baham Bagheri, who died during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Press TV writes.
The vessel was named IRIS Shahid Bagheri and became an important addition to the Iranian navy.
The article says that the aircraft carrier is a mobile platform for conducting operations using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and helicopters in open waters. The ship is equipped with a 180-meter runway, which allows it to carry out missions involving several squadrons of drones and carry various types of combat and support helicopters on board.
In addition, light missile boats and marine drones are located in the hold of the ship, which are lowered using a lift from special compartments on the port and starboard sides.
Tellingly, the new Iranian aircraft carrier was not built from scratch, but was created on the basis of the South Korean container ship Perarin.
The commander of the IRGC Naval forces, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, speaking at the ceremony, noted that the conversion of a commercial vessel into an aircraft carrier took two years. He stressed that Shahid Bagheri has an operational range of 22,000 nautical miles, which allows it to carry out missions in remote waters for a whole year without the need for refueling.
Image source: topwar.ru
It is reported that the aircraft carrier is also equipped with short- and long-range air defense systems, reconnaissance equipment and a flight control tower. Shahid Bagheri has eight inclined container launchers for anti-ship cruise missiles, eight launchers for light multi-purpose anti-aircraft missiles, as well as artillery installations.
Tangsiri declared.
Experts note that the new aircraft carrier can become an important tool for ensuring the safety of sea routes and protecting Iran's interests in the face of growing tensions in the region.
