Moudge-class frigate

The Moudge or Mowj or Moj (Persian: موج, lit. 'wave') is a class of domestically-produced Iranian light frigates.

IRIS Deylaman
Class overview
Name	Moudge
Builders	Iranian Navy's Factories Marine Industries Organization
Operators	Islamic Republic of Iran Navy
Preceded by	Alvand class
Built	2001–present
In service	2010–present
Planned	7
Building	1
Completed	6
Active	5
Lost	2
General characteristics
Type	Frigate
Displacement	1,500 tonnes[1]
Length	95 m (311.7 ft)[1]
Beam	11.1 m (36.4 ft)[1]
Draught	3.25 m (10.7 ft)[1]
Propulsion	2 × 10,000 hp (7,500 kW) engines 4 × 740 hp (550 kW) diesel generators[2]
Speed	30 knots (55.6 km/h)[2]
Complement	140
Sensors and processing systems	Asr 3D PESA long-range Radar
Electronic warfare & decoys	2 × 8 tube chaff launcher
Armament	Naval guns 1 × 76 mm Fajr-27 naval gun 1 × 40 mm Fath-40 AAA or 1 × 30mm Kamand CIWS 2 × 20 mm cannons Oerlikon 2 × 12.7 mm heavy machine guns Surface to air missiles 4 × Mehrab SAM, a naval version of the Sayyad-2 or 4 × Sayyad-3 SAM Surface to Surface missile 4 × Noor or Qader anti-ship missiles (Some ships are equipped with 8 anti-ship missiles) Anti-submarine warfare 2 × triple 324 mm torpedoes
Aircraft carried	1 × Bell 214 ASW helicopter
Aviation facilities	Helicopter landing pad

History

A Moudge-class ship was first reported to be under construction in 2001.^[3] Warship International wrote in 2008 that four ships of this class were under construction: Mowj (376) launched on 22 February 2007, Jamaran (377) launched on 28 November 2007, as well as Azarakhsh (378) and Tondar (379).^[4]

The first ship, Jamaran is said to be completed and is stationed in the port of Bandar Abbas. Damavand is the second ship in this class.^[5] According to OSGEOINT, Damavand was constructed at the Shahid Tamjidi Marine Industries (STMI) fabrication shop on the Caspian Sea at Bandar-e Anzali.^[6] The frigate was launched in March 2013.^{[citation needed]}

Damavand, based out of Bandar-Anzali on the Caspian Sea, ran aground on a concrete breakwater in the vicinity of its home port on 10 January 2018. It is believed probable that the incident was the result of navigational error, affected by a strong storm in the area, which created high wave heights and low visibility in the area. During the incident, six members of the ship's crew fell overboard. Four of those crew members were later rescued, and two were considered missing by media sources. The Iranian Navy declined to confirm the reporting. There has been little information released in reference to the cause of the grounding, with the exception of statements of wave height and visibility caused by the storm at the time of the grounding.

Damavand is currently listed as actively commissioned. Photos from 2018 show that the ship's hull has broken apart near the waterline approximately at the start of the ship's aircraft deck.^[7]

Iranian Navy commissioned Dena with a ceremony held in Bandar Abbas on 14 June 2021.^[8]

Future units of the Modge class are set to be equipped with the Sayyad-2 anti-aircraft missiles.^[9]

During construction, frigate Talaiyeh suddenly capsized while in dry dock. Killing one Navy personnel, no official reports have been released by the Iranian authorities.

Whilst in port at Bandas Abbas Sahand capsized on the 7 July 2024 before sinking on 9 July.^[10]

Classification

Iran officially classifies these ships as destroyers, but this is rejected by most navies internationally.^[11] Alternatively, they have also been described as destroyer escorts.^[12]

Sources differ in specifying the type of the class, either as light frigate or corvette.^[13]

Jane's Fighting Ships classifies the class as FFG of frigate^[14] while the Military Balance of the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), designates the ships in the class as FSGM or corvette.^[15]

Ships in the class

Ship	Pennant number	Shipyard	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Status
Jamaran	76	Naval Factories, Bandar Abbas	2001[3] or 2004[14]	28 November 2007[16]	19 February 2010[14]	In active service
Damavand	77	Shahid Tamjidi, Bandar Anzali	2009[14]	28 November 2007[4]	9 March 2015[17]	Sunk during storm in the Caspian Sea on January 28, 2018 and scrapped, replacement vessel Deylaman was constructed.
Sahand	74	Naval Factories, Bandar Abbas	2010[14]	18 September 2012[18]	1 December 2018[19]	Sunk on 9 July 2024 before pulling out of water on 22 July and now under repair
Dena	75	Shahid Darvishi, Bandar Abbas	2012[14]	2015[14]	13 June 2021[8]	In active service
Deylaman	78	Shahid Tamjidi, Bandar Anzali	2017	Un­known	27 November 2023[20]	Replacement vessel instead of Damavand,[21] in active service.
Zagros (ex-Talaieh)	313	Naval Factories, Bandar Abbas	2013[14]	2016[14]	15 January 2025[22]	In active service
Taftan	TBA	Shahid Darvishi, Bandar Abbas	2014[14]	2017[14]	Un­known	Under construction[23]

See also

• Iran portal

• List of frigates of Iran
• List of frigate classes
• List of naval ship classes of Iran
• List of naval ship classes in service