Iran unveils a torpedo-armed submersible watercraft

Middle East, News October 4, 2015 , by IRIA No Comments

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy has unveiled a torpedo-armed watercraft which is capable of operating both on and under water.

The domestically-manufactured submersible watercraft, dubbed Zolfaqar, was showcased for the first time at a public exhibition on Saturday, Fars news agency reports.

The 17-meter-long military equipment weighs about 22 tonnes and has a speed of 40 knots (more than 70 kilometers) per hour on the sea surface.

Zolfaqar also employs a four-meter-long torpedo which can target aircraft carriers, vessels weighing up to 200 tonnes, oil platforms as well as loading and unloading docks.

In recent years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly assured other nations, particularly its neighbors, that its military might poses no threat to other countries, insisting that its defense doctrine is merely based on deterrence.

Israel remain concerned about Iran’s military development and its growing presence in neighboring Syria.