en Peykaap I-class torpedo boat

*Peykaap I*-class speedboat
Class overview
Operators	Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
In service	2002–present
General characteristics
Type	PT Boat
Displacement	14 tons
Length	17 m (55 ft 9 in)
Beam	3.75 m (12 ft 4 in)
Draught	0.7 m (2 ft 4 in)
Installed power	Diesel
Propulsion	2 × diesel engines, 2,400 horsepower (1.8 MW)
Speed	52 knots (96 km/h)
Complement	3
Armament	1 × 12.7mm machine gun; 2 × 324mm torpedo tubes;

Zoljenah (Persian: ذوالجناح, lit. 'two-winged', named after Zuljanah; also known as Peykaap I or IPS-16) is a class of fast torpedo boat operated by the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It is described a stealth craft whose unusual armament suggests a "ship-disabling role".^[1]

As of 2014, the boats are made available for export.^[2]

History

IPS-16 boats were purchased from North Korea in the early 2000s. The first six were reportedly delivered to Iran on 8 December 2002, aboard freighter Iran Meead.^[1] Iran then reverse engineered the boat and has been able to produce it domestically.^[3]

Design

Dimensions and machinery

The ships have a standard displacement of 14 t (14 long tons).^[1] The class design is 17 m (56 ft) long, would have a beam of 3.75 m (12.3 ft) and a draft of 0.7 m (2 ft 4 in).^[1] It uses one surface piercing propeller, powered by two diesel engines.^[1] This system was designed to provide 2,400 horsepower (1.8 MW) for a top speed of 52 knots (96 km/h).^[1]

Armament

Zoljenah-class boats are equipped with a 12.7mm machine guns,^[1] but their primary armament is two single 324mm torpedo tubes.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Saunders, Stephen; Philpott, Tom, eds. (2015), "Iran", IHS Jane's Fighting Ships 2015–2016, Jane's Fighting Ships (116th Revised ed.), Coulsdon: IHS Jane's, p. 389, ISBN 9780710631435, OCLC 919022075
^ "Peykaap Class".
^ Iranian Naval Forces: A Tale of Two Navies (PDF), Office of Naval Intelligence, February 2017, p. 28, ISBN 978-0160939686
^ The International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) (2020). "Middle East and North Africa". The Military Balance 2020. Vol. 120. Routledge. p. 350. doi:10.1080/04597222.2020.1707968. ISBN 9780367466398. S2CID 219624897.