Zolfaghar (Persian: ذوالفقار, named after Zulfiqar; also known as Peykaap III[1]) is a class of fast patrol craft operated by the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran.

Quick Facts Class overview, General characteristics ...
Thumb
Class overview
OperatorsNavy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
General characteristics
TypeFast patrol craft
Displacement13.75 tons
Length17.3 m (56 ft 9 in)
Beam3.75 m (12 ft 4 in)
Draught0.7 m (2 ft 4 in)
Installed power2 × diesel engines, 2,400 horsepower (1.8 MW)
Propulsion1 × propeller
Speed52 knots (96 km/h; 60 mph)
Complement3
Armament
Close

Design

The Peykaap III is a modified version of North Korean IPS-16, manufactured by Iran.[2]

Dimensions and machinery

The ships have an estimated standard displacement of 13.75 t (13.53 long tons).[2] The class design is 17.3 m (56 ft 9 in) long, would have a beam of 3.75 m (12 ft 4 in) and a draft of 0.7 m (2 ft 4 in).[2] It uses one surface piercing propeller, powered by two diesel engines.[2] This system was designed to provide 2,400 horsepower (1,800 kW) for an estimated top speed of 52 knots (96 km/h; 60 mph).[2]

Armament

Peykaap III crafts are equipped with two single anti-ship missile launchers with Kowsar or Nasr[2][3] which rely on internal guidance and active terminal homing to 38 kilometres (21 nmi) at 0.8 Mach.[2] It is also compatible with Chinese C-701/FL-10 torpedoes.[2] Their secondary armament is two 12.7 mm machine gun.[2]

History

In July 2023, the Venezuelan Zolfaghars were displayed, armed with Nasr-1 anti-ship missiles.[4] They were presented in the wake of the Royal Navy's HMS Trent arrival in Guyana.[5]

On February 24, 2024, the Peykaap IIIs were sighted near the Gulf of Paria.[6]

Users

References

Wikiwand in your browser!

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.

Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.