Iranian Vessel Damaged in 2020 Fire Modernized to Carry Cruise Missiles

Iranian Navy’s Konarak support vessel that was damaged in friendly fire in 2020 has now been completely redesigned.

Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani told state media that Konarak bears no similarities to its predecessor, which was heavily damaged in a friendly fire incident two years ago.

“The new generation of the vessel enjoys advanced and more sophisticated technologies and is going through construction phases. At the same time, various pieces of military equipment are being installed on it. It’s worth mentioning that the vessel can fire cruise naval missiles as well,” Irani added.

Related news: Iran to Deploy Warships with 8 Homegrown Cruise Missiles

Konarak is a Hendijan-class vessel built in the Netherlands. It has been in service with the Iranian Navy since 1988. Originally intended as a support and logistics ship, Konarak was overhauled in 2018, and was armed with anti-ship missiles. The vessel was struck by a missile fired from the Iranian frigate Jamaran during a naval exercise in the Sea of Oman on May 10, 2020, killing 19 sailors.