1. Home
  2.  » 
  3. "The War on Terror"
  4.  » 
  5. Iran
  6.  » Iran accepts delivery of homegrown drone carrier ‘Shahid Bahman Bagheri’

Tayfun Ozberk – Naval News Feb 6, 2025

On February 06, 2025, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ (IRGC) accepted the delivery of the new homegrown drone and helicopter carrier ship Shahid Bahman Bagheri during a ceremony in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas.

According to Iranian media, the new carrier has been delivered to the naval fleet of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in a ceremony held in Bandar Abbas. The event was attended by the Commander of the IRGC Navy, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri. The carrier, which is based on a converted commercial vessel, underwent a transformation over a period of approximately two years to become a multi-purpose naval platform.

Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri revealed some information about the Shahid Bahman Bagheri carrier during his speech on the occassion. “An operational range of 22,000 nautical miles enables the carrier to conduct missions for a whole year in distant waters without the need to refuel,” he stated.

According to limited open-source information, the carrier is capable of deploying various types of small unmanned aerial vehicles and air defense missiles. It is reportedly equipped with short- and medium-range air defense systems, intelligence-gathering equipment, and a flight control tower. In addition to featuring ESM and SIGINT capabilities, Admiral Tangsiri stated at the ceremony that the carrier can also deploy and operate “guided [read uncrewed] subsurface vessels”.

The Shahid Bahman Bagheri is actually a converted contrainer ship (the Perarin, converted between 2022 and 2024). It is probably named in honor of Shahid (martyr) Bahman Bagheri, IRGC commander who died in Pathak, Iraq, during the Iran-Iraq war. The “drone carrier” features an approximately 180-meter runway designed for the takeoff and landing of unmanned aerial systems. Notably, it is equipped with a ski-jump, to support the launch of the UAVs. The carrier has a length of around 240 meters with a displacement of more than 40.000 tons. It is powered by a MAN B&W Type 8 S70 MC-C diesel engine, delivering a top speed of more than 20 knots. The carrier can deploy two helicopters and an unknown number of UAVs on deck.

Footage released by Iranian media showed the takeoff and landing of Qaher-313 UAVs. The video suggested that the UAVs were powered by a turbofan engine, likely the Jahesh-700. While official specifications were not disclosed, the drones appeare relatively small and were able to stop within a short distance on the carrier’s runway during landing. Notably, no visible arresting gear equipment was observed. Similar looking, but much larger UAVs are present on the flight deck.

Source

Iran’s New Qaher-313 stealth aircraft successfully taking off from its new drone carrier

Weapons of the World – Feb 6, 2025


—

 

Source