The Iranian Navy formally formed its submarine force in 1987. In 1988, Iran and the Soviet Union signed a contract to purchase three Kilo-class submarines (Type 877EMK), which were built and commissioned between 1992 and 1996.
During the Iran-Iraq War, Iran and north Korea established good military and trade relations: North Korea provided Iran with tanks, armored vehicles, heavy artillery, ammunition, communication equipment and other armaments, so After the submarine construction failed, Iran turned to North Korea for help: North Korea provided "Salmon" class pocket submarines and construction equipment and technical guidance, which allowed Iran to have submarine construction capabilities. The "Gadir" class submarine is about 20 meters long, has an underwater displacement of about 120 tons, a width of 2.75 meters, a draft of 1.6 meters, equipped with two 533 mm torpedo tubes, can carry about 6 torpedoes, can also carry special forces, carry infiltration reconnaissance, special operations and other tasks, it can also carry Iran's domestic "Nasr-1" anti-ship missile, is also the world's smallest submarine that can carry anti-ship missiles. A total of 26 ships have been built for the Gadir class so far;
After the successful construction of the "Gadir", Iran successively built the "Sabah-15" miniature submarine: the linear type is spindle-shaped, the front end of the submarine is equipped with a transparent cockpit, which can carry 2 crew members and 3 frogmen, and can perform tasks such as frogman transportation, mine laying and reconnaissance - the Dprk Navy and the Iranian Navy have similar operational concepts;
Later, Iran tried to develop its own submarine industry, building a submarine "Whale": the length of the boat is about 22-24 meters, and the tonnage is about 200 tons. Due to the lack of experience, the proportion of the ship's command platform shell is unbalanced, and the equipment interferes with each other seriously, which is mainly used for testing equipment;
At present, the Iranian Navy has 3 "Kilo" class, 1 "Fatah" class, about 23 "Gadir" class and a certain number of "Sabah-15" miniature submarines, becoming an underwater force in the Gulf region that cannot be underestimated.
After unremitting efforts and the introduction of foreign technology, Iran finally broke through the constraints of the 400-ton submarine: Iran demonstrated the new domestically produced submarine "Fateh", and the grand launch ceremony was held in the southern Iranian port of Abbas. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attended the submarine launch ceremony. Rouhani said at the launch ceremony: "On my orders, the Fatah class officially joined the Iranian Navy today. ”
Iranian officials said that this new type of submarine has a water displacement of 527 tons, an underwater displacement of 600 tons, a total length of 48 meters, a width of 4.4 meters, the use of 1 diesel engine and 1 electric motor, the power is unknown, the water speed is 11 knots, the underwater is 14 knots, the endurance is unknown, and the diving depth is 250 meters. The armament is four 533 mm torpedo tubes, 8 mines, which can launch Iranian imitation of the North Korean Type 97 electric torpedo YT-534-UW1 torpedo, and can also launch anti-ship missiles and super-bubble torpedoes. The submarine has a maximum diving depth of 200 meters and an underwater diving time of up to five weeks.
The entry into service of the "Fatah" class submarine marks that Iran has mastered the construction technology of medium-sized submarines, and while enhancing the underwater combat strength of the Iranian Navy, it has laid a certain technical foundation for the future development of submarines with larger displacement.
Iran's Press TV TV reported that the "Fatah" class new submarines are equipped with cruise missiles, and the cruise missiles equipped with Iranian submarines should be submarine-launched anti-ship missiles, developed from "Noor" or "Kausal" shore-based anti-ship missiles, which can enhance the submarine's anti-ship capabilities and means. In the future, the Submarine Capabilities of the Iranian Navy will continue to strengthen.