‘A surprise for the enemy’: Iran’s new submarine-launched cruise missile enters mass production

Iran has launched mass production of its new submarine-launched Jask cruise missile, the country’s Navy chief has said, adding that work on upgraded versions of the weapon is already in progress.

Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi was speaking in Tehran on Saturday at an event showcasing new weaponry and other military projects that his force has been involved with. Announcing the launch of the Jask cruise missile’s mass production, Khanzadi said the munition will be used by all the subs of Iran’s Navy.

While the official did not share any special characteristics of the missile, it’s known that the Jask can be fired out of a submarine’s torpedo tubes and takes off from the water. The missile was first shown in action to the public this February, during the massive Veleyat-97 naval drills.

The range of the Jask-type munitions is expected to be improved “substantially” in the future, Khanzadi said, revealing that a ‘Jask-2 project’ was already underway. The expanded range of the missile “will surely be a serious surprise for the enemy,” the official added.

Besides the Jask cruise missiles, the event in Tehran also showcased other military projects involving the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy. The new sea-launched ‘Pelikan’ VTOL drone, the Balaban guided bomb, the Sadaf-2 naval mine as well as several other new systems were unveiled.

As well as unveiling new weaponry, Khanzadi spoke on the upcoming joint naval drills between Iran, Russia and China. The landmark exercise is expected to take place in the Indian Ocean next month.

“The objective of such an exercise is obtaining collective security and assisting in securing the northern region of the Indian Ocean, which is today witness to certain incidents such as maritime piracy,” Khanzadi said.

Moscow, for its part, also said that the joint drills will be focused on honing the counter-terrorism and anti-piracy skills of the three countries’ navies, and, therefore, should not be perceived as a threat by any nations of the region.

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