Moudge-class frigate

Basic information

Type:

Frigate

Operators:

Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

Country of build:

Iran

Builder:

Iranian Navy's Factories

Marine Industries Organization

Planned:

Completed:

In service:

2010 – present (14 years)

Ship measurements

Displacement:

1,500 t

Length:

95 m

Beam:

11.1 m

Draft:

3.25 m

Machine

Propulsion:

2 * 10,000 hp (7,500 kW) engines
4 * 740 hp (550 kW) diesel generators

Speed:

30 knots

Personnel

Complement:

140

Combat assets

Electronics:

Asr 3D PESA long-range Radar
2 * 8 tube chaff launcher

Armament:

1 * 76 mm Fajr-27 naval gun
1 * 40 mm Fath-40 AAA or 1x 30mm Kamand CIWS
2 * 20 mm cannons Oerlikon
2 * 12.7 mm heavy machine guns
4 * Mehrab SAM, a naval version of the Sayyad-2 or 4 × Sayyad-3 SAM
4 * Noor or Qader anti-ship missiles (Some ships are equipped with 8 anti-ship missiles)
2 * triple 324 mm torpedoes

Aircraft:

1 * Bell 214 ASW helicopter

The development of Moudge-class frigates was first reported in 2001. The construction of the ship was initiated by the Marine Industries Organization in 2017 at its facilities in Bandar-e Anzali. The Moudge-class ships are classified by the Iranian Navy as light frigates, with a displacement of 1700 tons, a length of 94.5 meters, and a width of 11.1 meters.

According to official sources, the ship is considered the most advanced in the Iranian Navy, equipped with versatile weaponry and electronic systems for various tasks. The primary radar system of the frigate is the three-coordinate passive phased array antenna Asr, providing target detection up to 200 km.

The artillery armament includes the 76mm Fajr-27 gun, an unlicensed copy of the Italian naval 76mm OTO Melara. Additionally, a 30mm Kamand gun is installed for direct protection against low-altitude airborne threats, along with two 20mm guns and two 12.7mm caliber machine guns.

The anti-aircraft missile system consists of the Mehrab missile complex and Sayyad-3 missiles, capable of destroying targets up to 150 km away. The missile utilizes a semi-active homing head and is equipped with a fragmentation-explosive warhead.

Anti-ship weaponry includes the launchers for subsonic Qader anti-ship missiles. These missiles can target surface ships up to 200 km away, flying at an altitude of up to 5 meters, allowing them to bypass the anti-missile defense systems of surface ships.

The Iranian Navy plans to acquire seven frigates of this class. Starting with the fifth ship, IRIS Deylaman (78), the frigates will be equipped with a new type of radar station with an active phased array antenna.

Jane's Fighting Ships classifies the class as FFG frigates, while the Military Balance of the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) designates the ships in the class as FSGM or corvettes.