Shahid Bahman Bagheri - IRGCN drone carrier
The Shahid Bagheri is Iran's first drone carrier, which was built by converting a container ship which was then put into operation for sea trials. In August 2022 photos emerged of a ship of the same class as the Shahid Mahdavi [not Shadid Rodaki, the RO-RO ship built by an Italian company], which was upgraded in the offshore industries dry dock. Due to the fact that this vessel is of the same class as the Shahid Madhavi vessel, the user of this vessel was assessed as probably the IRGC Navy. The Shahid Bagheri started out as a 3,280 TEU boxship, delivered from Hyundai Heavy Industries in the year 2000 and operated under the Iranian flag. It had undergone a conversion at the ISOICO shipyard (27.053771, 55.979837) west of Bandar Abbas. Previously called Sarvin, the ship's original name was Perarin (IMO: 9209350). Perarin had an overall length of 240.2 meters and 32.2 meters at the widest point.
Tanmay Kadam noted "H.I.Sutton reported that two vessels are expected to be built: the Shahid Mahdavi and Shahid Bagheri. Based on open sources, the first one is believed to be the Shahid Mahdavi (110-3). However, Iranian social media sources have also reported it to be the Shahid Bagheri. Nevertheless, according to him, the two ships would probably be similar or identical, so that this detail may be less critical."
Open source satellite images show that the ship was moved to dry dock at the end of May 2022, its deck was emptied and the ship turned gray. Work on the added flight deck was revealed on satellite images around 10 November 2022. On 29 December 2022, photographs from a shipyard in the Strait of Hormuz were leaked online, where a merchant ship was seen being rebuilt into the future carrier of the Shahid Bagheri UAV. Satellite images of the ship were taken by Planet Labs 14 January 2024, following an investigation by Samir Madani-led TankerTrackers.com. This is not the first time that the IRGC has attempted to create makeshift UAV carrier ships. Previously, the Iranians had already created an entire special-purpose unit consisting of ships and submarines equipped with launchers for UAVs. For example, it included the landing ship Lavan, built in 1985. The Iranians managed to install several famous kamikaze UAVs "Geranium-2" Shahed 136 on this ship.
According to satellite images obtained by the "Military Times" website 06 January 2023, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy was converting a commercial container ship into a drone carrier. According to this website, "Shahid Mahdavi" [this report is evidently confused as to the name of the unit] is a container ship that used to go on commercial trips under the flag of Iran, but since the spring of last year, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been operating in "Iran Offshore Shipbuilding and Industries Complex" which is located in Bandar Abbas near the Strait of Hormuz. Now it has been converted into a warship to carry helicopters and drones.
On 24 February 2023 the IRGC Navy commander announced the unveiling of the Shahid Bahman Bagheri warship in the near future, adding the ship is a UAV carrier with a runway of 180 meters length on which the light aircraft lands on wheels. Speaking to Iran's national TV, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of the naval forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that "In the near future, we will add Shahid Soleimani 2 under the name of Shahid Hassan Bagheri, which was designed and produced locally by our youth, to the IRGC Navy's combat organization in the IRGC's 2nd maritime District [in the Persian Gulf]."
According to the political reporter of Fars News Agency, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, Commander of the Revolutionary Guards Navy, said 04 March 2023 in a special news interview of Khabar Sima channel: "In the near future, we will join the second naval ship of Martyr Soleimani, named Martyr Hasan Bagheri, which was designed and produced locally by our youth, to the IRGC Navy's combat organization in the IRGC's second naval region. Shahid Bahman Bagheri's vessel will be the third IRGC Navy vessel to carry out oceanic missions and distant waters. Sardar Tangsiri also announced the unveiling of the Martyr Bahman Bagheri ship in the near future and said: "This vessel is a UAV carrier with a runway of 180 meters for which the aircraft has landed on wheels and will fly on wheels as well." He added: "About 30 Ashura-class missile launchers are carried in the lower part of the Shahid Bagheri hull."
Martyr Bahman Bagheri will be the third IRGC Navy vessel to carry out missions in the ocean and distant waters. The main mission of the IRGC Navy is in the Persian Gulf; But outside of the designated circuit, the IRGCN was accompanying and coordinating with this force for the missions of the army's navy in the Sea of Oman; To make the passage normal and safe for the ships of our country.
The International Institute for Iranian Studies, Rasanah, noted 25 Jan 2023 "the drone aircraft carrier will support Iran’s regional military strategy and its development reflects the important role of drones in the IRGC’s warfare stratagem.... the IRGC has been instructed to increase its presence in remote waters and enhance its pre-emptive and retaliatory capabilities by relying on the deployment of drones. The drone aircraft carrier allows the accomplishment of both goals, hence escalating the security threats posed by Iran... Iran’s primary consideration is to counterbalance the US Navy by improving its guerrilla-style warfare capabilities. Hence, Iran in recent years has relied on sea mines, swarm boats, rocket launchers, and highly mobile speedboats to target foreign vessels. Now, it is adding drone aircraft carriers... "
An excellent example of new trends in shipbuilding: by June 2024, in Iran, work on drone carrier, the Bahman Bagheri, had almost been completed, footage of which was posted by Iranian colleagues. The basis for the second ship of this type was another cargo ship, which was converted for military needs. In the photo the runway is visible, as it space for storing drones on the second tier. No matter how various experts say that large ships have become obsolete, this is far from the case. There is no replacement for them yet (and it is unlikely that there will be one); aviation carriers will be necessary for mobility. In this way, the Iranians will be able at any time to send a warship to the shores of Yemen or to the Mediterranean Sea, essentially constructing it from scrap materials in the form of a fairly large civilian fleet.
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