Tel Aviv: The new Iranian made anti-ship missile poses a very serious threat to civil and navy ships, according to Israeli experts.
On July 25, 2023, Channel 2 (Iran) aired a report about the Iranian-made “Abu Mahdi” cruise missile. According to the report, the missile was recently added to the arsenals of the navies of the IRGC and the Iran Army, and it has advanced AI, stealth, and electronic warfare capabilities. The report also stated that the US Navy Fifth Fleet is within the missile’s 1,000-kilometre range, that the missile can strike any naval target, and the missile is capable of sinking an American Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
According to a report in the website of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), the ‘Abu Mahdi’ was added today to the battle formation of the IRGC and army navies.
“This missile has artificial intelligence and stealth capabilities, and it can cause great destruction. It can destroy any hostile naval target. Now the balance of power with the Americans is changing again,” the report mentioned.
The report claims that the main difference between the missile and other cruise missiles of the Islamic Republic of Iran is that the radar of this missile can operate against the electronic warfare of the enemy’s destroyers, and one or two of these missiles can sink an American Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
“These destroyers are the command ships of the US Navy. In light of their missiles, anti-aircraft cannons, and electronic-warfare systems, they are considered to be a strong fortress at sea. America’s Fifth Fleet is located about 200 km from Bushehr, and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are found in these bases, under the pretext of maintaining maritime security. Therefore, these trans regional destroyers are under the surveillance of the IRGC navy from the outskirts of Tehran, and are within its range of fire,” says the report.
The report added that the new missile constitutes a clear message from Tehran to Washington.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
