Nahang Class

Class overview
Preceded by:	None
Succeeded by:	Ghadir class
In service:	March 2006
Completed:	1
Active:	1
General characteristics
Displacement:	350-400 tons
Propulsion:	Diesel-electric propulsion
Armament:	2 torpedo tubes, missiles

The Nahang class (Persian: نهنگ‎‎) is an Iranian-made class of small submarines.

Being one of Iran's largest defense expenditures, the Nahang submarine is Iran's second attempt at designing and manufacturing submarines. According to Iranian news footage from the IRINN, the Nahang 1 has at least been in service since March 2006 in the Persian Gulf. The Nahang class submarine provides the navy with varied options for its use. Its design and construction involved 220 researchers and 1.2 million hours of scientific and industrial work.

In addition, the Nahang was observed on satellite imagery at Bandar-e-Abbas on 28 June 2009 docked at the north east wharf near 27.144071 N, 56.215818 E. As there has been much discussion as to the size of the Nahang versus the Ghadir, satellite imagery clearly show the Nahang as being much shorter than the 29m Ghadir.

After the Ghadir, the Nahang is Iran's second domestically produced submarine, superseded eventually by the reportedly 1000 ton, Qaeem.

The Nahang 1 has a surface search radar and communications masts, which make it unsuitable for harbor infiltration, but good for reasonably clandestine mine-laying. It is said to be a sonar-evading stealth submarine. Iranian officials claim the Nahang is equipped with state-of-the-art electronic equipment and can fire missiles and torpedoes simultaneously, but no information was given on the range of these weapons. Nahang means "whale" in Persian.

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Wikipedia