The Iranian warship “Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis” is the second vessel of the “Shahid Qasem Soleimani” class ships, distinctive for its stealth capabilities from radars. It can sail for 14 days and 2000 nautical miles, thanks to its four engines that boost its speed to 37 knots, providing a protective umbrella for the accompanying warships in the high seas.
Manufacturing
“Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis” is considered the second warship of the “Shahid Qasem Soleimani” class locally manufactured by Iranian capabilities. This follows the Iran Revolutionary Guards incorporating the first model named the “Shahid Soleimani” ship in September 2022.
In June 2023, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ navy, Brigadier General Ali Reza Tangsiri, revealed that the country was underway in building 4 warships of the “Shahid Soleimani” class.
The Iranian warships of the Soleimani class feature a double-hull design giving them greater stability against powerful waves and enhancing their speed. Additionally, the acute angles used in their exterior designs make them very difficult to detect by enemy radars.
The construction of “Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis” took 15 months, but the naval force of the Revolutionary Guards overseeing the manufacturing stages confirmed after unveiling the warship that it is capable of producing three models of it within a single year.
The “Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis” warship reaches a speed of 37 knots (Iranian Press)
Launch
On January 6, 2024, Iran announced the addition of the “Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis” warship to the southern fleet of the Revolutionary Guards’ navy in a ceremony at the “Bandar Abbas” port on the northern bank of the Gulf waters. The ceremony was attended by the head of the Revolutionary Guards, General Hossein Salami, and the commander of the Guards’ naval force, Brigadier General Ali Reza Tangsiri.
The warship was named after the Iraqi leader Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Forces, who was assassinated by the United States at the beginning of 2020 along with the former commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, General Qasem Soleimani, near Baghdad International Airport.
Technical Specifications
Brigadier General Ali Reza Tangsiri, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ naval force, shared that the “Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis” warship is equipped with four marine engines to perform its assigned tasks in the high seas at a speed of 37 knots. He confirmed the warship is armed with sea-to-sea cruise missile launch platforms with varied ranges between 35 and 750 kilometers to destroy enemy strategic targets.
The “Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis” warship weighs 600 tons and carries 16 short-range and 4 long-range missiles, indicating that the ship can remain stable against level six waves and maintain combat effectiveness in level five maritime combat scenarios.
Some Iranian media outlets, especially those close to the Revolutionary Guards, have highlighted other technical features of the “Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis” warship, including:
- A designated medical operations area.
- Equipped with full rescue and supply equipment.
- Design of three decks on board for different functions.
The Revolutionary Guards say that the “Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis” warship is capable of evading radars (Iranian Press)
Tactical Advantages
Officials in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ navy have listed special features of the “Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis” warship, which include:
- The ability to maneuver and evade radars (stealth capabilities).
- Sailing in high seas and at long distances.
- Equipped with air defense systems to handle hostile targets.
- Capability of launching missiles vertically and directing them towards enemy targets without the need for the warship to turn.
- Armed with rocket launchers and automatic and semi-automatic cannons of 20 and 30mm calibers for air defense and dealing with enemy targets.
- The ability to navigate for 14 consecutive days covering a range of 2000 nautical miles.
- The capacity to carry, land, and launch vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones and to deploy combat drones day and night.
