Iran Set to Unveil Domestically Manufactured Military Hovercraft

With the past years having been spent under an international ban on weapon sales, Iran has built its own defence industry, developing and manufacturing new jets, missiles, warships and other armaments all by itself. The ban was lifted by most of the UN states in 2020 with Tehran hoping to enter the global defence market with its own products.

The Islamic Republic of Iran will soon unveil a new military vehicle, a hovercraft, according to Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi. The country's navy will get the first deliveries of the new amphibious vehicle after 21 March, when the Iranian new year starts.

The forthcoming addition to the Islamic Republic's military might, capable of moving both on the water and the ground and allowing quick transportation of troops across water surfaces, was developed domestically and will be manufactured by Iran itself.

Khanzadi praised the growing role of the domestic defence industry in the country. He noted that Tehran is at present capable of maintaining military vessels and arming them with missiles without external help. The admiral added that the Islamic Republic defence industry is now working on adding vertical-launched missiles into its arsenal.

The announcement of an Iranian hovercraft comes as Tehran continues to develop its domestic defence industry -  a process which started after the UN Security Council imposed sanctions banning the sale of weapons to the Islamic Republic. The ban officially expired in October 2020 despite opposition from the US, but by that time Tehran had managed to develop a whole array of domestic armaments – from missiles and air defences, to large warships and fighter jets. Iranian officials suggested that with the lifting of the UN ban, the country might enter the global defence market and even sell its own weapons to other countries.