TEHRAN, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Thursday took delivery of the homegrown "Shahid Bagheri" drone carrier, the official news agency IRNA reported.
According to the report, the ship was delivered to the IRGC Navy's combat fleet off the coast of the southern port city of Bandar Abbas. Mohammad Baqeri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, IRGC Chief Commander Hossein Salami, and IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri attended the handover ceremony.
The 240-meter-long and 21-meter-high drone carrier has a 180-meter runway and can carry up to 60 drones and 30 missile-launching vessels with missiles' operation ranges from 750 to 2,000 km. Its sailing range exceeds 19,000 nautical miles, and a squadron can be stationed aboard.
The report added that the warship could carry out defensive and offensive operations, noting electronic warfare systems could be installed on the carrier.
Speaking at the ceremony, Salami said Iran would never surrender to foreign pressures as it is "taking steps towards strengthening its defense and economic power to stand against any threat." ■
