Mowj-class (Wave-class) Corvette

In January 2003, Iranian authorities announced the planned construction of at least one Mowj [62,900 attestations] Class frigate, a indigenously developed version of the Alvand Class. This word, meaning wave in Farsi, is also translated as Moudge [ 7,670 attestations] Mowaj [ 3,370 attestations ] or Mowdge [ 624 attestations]. The first Mowj Class frigate was initially planned to be launched by 2005. Ultimately the Mowj was actually launched in February of 2007. At that time, the second ship in the class, reported to be named the Jamarran, was to be launched in November of 2007. Jamaran [ 238,000 attestations] / Jamarran [91,800 attestations] is the neighborhood in northern Tehran that was the headquarters of the Ayatollah Khomeini. Khomeini used to address crowds of supporters at the Jamaran mosque after the Islamic revolution in 1979 and it retains a particular symbolic meaning for many Iranians.

Many changes were to be made, but perhaps the most important was the shift to locally produced diesel power plants, resulting in a drop in performance. The Mowj was also to be fitted with the C-802 missile, as well as an Iranian copy of the OTO Melara 76mm automatic gun. At the rear of the ship the AAA appears to be a twin turret, possibly a manned 35mm as on the Alvand class. Above the bridge is what appears to be a locally developed Close-In-Weapons-System (CIWS) of unknown type, similar to the US 20mm Phalanx. Reorganized deck space allows for a helicopter landing pad at the rear of the ship, requiring a repositioning of the anti-ship missiles to amidships. Unlike most contemporary corvettes, the Mowj did not feature a radar signature reducing hull form [this only emerged with the third unit]. While the air defences are a significant improvement over the Alvand, the fit is somewhat short of the current norm for warships this size, and the ships do not appear to have an ASW sonar.

Iran was also reported to be looking for new frigates and destroyers. Iran reportedly was trying to design and build a class of destroyer, and reportedly had a class of light frigate in production. Iran also was looking into purchasing Russian Steregushchiy-class frigates. These modern frigates displace 1,850 tons, and are equipped with the SS-N-27 anti-ship missile (carrying twelve missiles in a vertical-launch system), three eight-round SA-N-9 missile launchers, a 100mm gun, two 30mm Gatling guns, four 15.75-inch torpedo tubes, and two four-round SA-N-8 launchers.

According to Iranian news reports, Iran launched its "first" home-made "destroyer" equipped with guided missile systems on Friday 19 February 2010, as "one of the country's greatest defensive projects". The Jamaran destroyer was launched in the southern waters of the country in a ceremony attended by senior navy commanders and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei. The basis for designating the Jamaran as the "first home made" destroyer is unclear, since it is evidently the second unit of the Mowj class, the first of which was launched in 2007.

The Mowdge Class vessel was said to have a displacement of around 14,000 tons, and was reported to carry 120-140 personnel on board. It is implausible that the Iranian vessel displaces 14,000 tons, and it is far more likely that the actual displacement is 1,400 tons, as had previously been reported for this class of ships, rather than 14,000 tons. The reported crew of 120-140 is in the ballpark of the crew of the DDG-1000, but it is also in the ballpark of the 125 and 146 crewmembers on the earlier related Alvand class of corvettes.

It is equipped with modern radars and electronic warfare capabilities. Jamaran is armed with a variety of anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles. The Mowdge Class multi-mission destroyer has a top speed of up to 30 knots, a helipad and has also been equipped with torpedoes and modern naval cannons. The destroyer's launch was said to mark a major technological leap for Iran's naval industries.

Commander of the Iranian Army's Naval Forces Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that Iran's "first home-made destroyer", equipped with guided missile systems, was capable of accomplishing six simultaneous missions, thanks to the advanced technologies used in the vessel. Sayyari added that Jamaran destroyer can defend itself against under-water, surface and air attacks simultaneously. "Several information, electronic warfare, anti-electronic, radar, missile, under-water torpedo-launching and sonar systems and technologies have been used in different stories of the destroyer," he said. Noting that Iranian engineers and experts have not used reverse engineering in manufacturing the destroyer, Sayyari reiterated that the vessel enjoys the capability to carry choppers and different kinds of missile systems.

Iran's "first home-made destroyer" officially started its mission in the country's southern waters in the Persian Gulf. Commander of Iran's First Naval Zone Fariborz Qaderpanah told reporters that Jamaran destroyer has joined Iran's Navy units and started its first mission in the southern waters of the country on Sunday 21 February 2010.

Member of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Javad Karimi Qoddousi appreciated the country's naval forces for their successful efforts in designing, manufacturing and launching Iran's highly advanced Jamaran destroyer. "Marine-related technology is more complicated than the technology (to build) land equipments. Hence, this victory is as precious as our other successes in such other big scientific arenas as the nuclear science," Qoddousi told FNA.

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi announced on Saturday 20 February 2010 that the ministry's Maritime Industries Organization had started manufacturing the country's "second" destroyer [more probably, the third of this class]. Vahidi said that the vessel, already under construction, was the second Jamaran destroyer [the third Mowdge class] and would be delivered to the country's Navy once optimization of some systems and sub-systems were completed. He further announced Iran's plans to build more destroyers in future, saying, "The defense ministry's maritime industries organization has been tasked with manufacturing other Mowdge class vessels, and their manufacturing phase will soon start."

The Islamic Republic of Iran claims to be capable of manufacturing various kinds of naval vessels such as missile cruisers and destroyers. Iran has been pushing an arms development program in recent years in a bid to reach self-sufficiency. It claims to have produced its own jet fighters and armored vehicles as well as radar-avoiding missiles and other high-tech weapons, though in most cases these are actually replicas of foreign designs, and usually one-off prototypes.

The Iranian Navy announced in August 2009 that it planned to boost production of different types of home-made vessels. Also in April 2009, Commander of the Iranian Army Major General Ataollah Salehi announced that Iran planned to manufacture the largest destroyer and the most advanced submarines in the region.

The Iranian Navy's deputy chief for Technical Affairs, Rear Admiral Abbas Zamini, said 20 June 2012 the Islamic Republic planned to unveil 10 new indigenous frigates and destroyers. Zamini said that the plan to build 10 more naval vessels came after the country’s two major destroyer projects: Jamaran, a Mowj-1 class destroyer launched in 2010 and Velayat, a Mowj-2 class destroyer, whose construction was at that point completed by 70 percent and was to be finished by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 20). The commander said the new projects also included the construction of Mowj and Sina-class destroyers and missile-launching frigates.

Janes reported in 2013 that "The work on this frigate has been slow. The IRIN announced in March that it had been launched, but satellite imagery shows it was in a floating dry dock in September. Similarly, the IRIN claimed that it launched the hull of another Mowj class, Sahand, at Bandar Abbas in September 2012. However, satellite imagery showed that it was still in the dry dock in December. Astrium imagery from 19 October shows that most of its weapons and sensors have yet to be fitted. Nevertheless, the hull of a fourth Mowj class was seen at Bostanu in GoogleEarth imagery taken on 17 August. This was no longer present in the imagery taken on 27 October." Bostanu is 16ft above sea level at the distance of 19 miles from Bandar Abbas, to the ENE.