Moudge-class
Summary
| Origin country | 🇮🇷 Iran |
| Category | Frigate |
| Subtype | Frigate |
| Manufacturer | Iranian Navy's Factories |
| Year commissioned | 2010 |
| Units |
74 IRIS Sahand 75 IRIS Dena 76 IRIS Jamaran 77 IRIS Damavand |
Operators
Technical specifications
| Displacement | 1500 tons |
| Crew | 140 members |
| Width | 11.1 m (36.4 ft) |
| Length | 95.0 m (311.7 ft) |
| Air Park |
|
| Propulsion | 2 × 10,000 hp (7,500 kW) engines, 4 × 740 hp (550 kW) diesel generators |
| Armament |
|
| Maximum speed | 30 knots |
Description
The Moudge class is a series of Iranian-produced light frigates developed as a successor to the Alvand class. Construction on the lead vessel began in 2001 at the Iranian Navy's Factories. The program is managed by the Marine Industries Organization, with seven units planned and six completed. While Iran officially classifies these vessels as destroyers, international maritime organizations and navies designate the class as either light frigates or corvettes. Jane's Fighting Ships classifies the class as frigates, while the International Institute for Strategic Studies designates them as corvettes.
The design incorporates a 3D PESA long-range radar and electronic warfare systems, including chaff launchers. Aviation facilities consist of a helicopter landing pad capable of supporting anti-submarine warfare helicopters. The vessels are equipped for anti-ship, surface-to-air, and anti-submarine operations. One unit, Zagros, was modified during construction to serve as a signals intelligence (SIGINT) vessel following damage sustained in a dry dock accident.
The lead ship, Jamaran, entered service in 2010 and is stationed at Bandar Abbas. Damavand, the second unit, was commissioned in 2015 for operations in the Caspian Sea. In January 2018, Damavand ran aground on a breakwater during a storm and was subsequently scrapped; it was replaced in the Caspian fleet by Deylaman in 2023. Sahand entered service in 2018 but capsized and sank in port in July 2024. Following reconstruction and repair, Sahand was recommissioned in November 2025. Dena was commissioned in 2021. The class has recorded two major industrial accidents: the capsizing of Talaiyeh (later renamed Zagros) while in dry dock and the sinking of Sahand while in port. During the 2026 Iran war, the class suffered catastrophic losses: Jamaran, Sahand, and Zagros were sunk at their berths by U.S. airstrikes on 1 March during the opening phase of Operation Epic Fury, while Dena was torpedoed and sunk in the Indian Ocean south of Sri Lanka by USS Charlotte on 4 March—the first torpedo kill by a submarine since the Falklands War. Only Deylaman, stationed in the Caspian Sea, and Taftan, still under construction, were unaffected.