The Alvand class (), or Saam class () (also known as the Vosper Mark V class) was originally a class of four frigates built for the Imperial Iranian Navy. They were renamed following the Iranian Revolution, and served in the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy during the Iran–Iraq War.
IRIS Sahand was sunk by the U.S. Navy during Operation Praying Mantis in 1988. All the remaining vessels were sunk during the 2026 Iran war.
Development and construction
The ships were built in the United Kingdom by Vosper Ltd and based on their Mark 5 design with the following arms & equipment:Moore, John Jane's Fighting Ships, 1974–75, pub Jane's Publishing Co Ltd, 1975, -page 175.
ASuW – 1 × quintuple Sea Killer Mk2 surface-to-surface missile AAW – 1 × triple Sea Cat surface-to-air missile launcher ASW – 1 × 3 barrelled Anti Submarine Mortar Mark 10 Limbo launcher Guns – 1 × Mark 8 Mod 0 4.5 inch general purpose & 1 × twin 35mm Oerlikon AA Electronics – Plessey AWS 1 air surveillance radar with on-mounted IFF; 2 × Contraves Seahunter systems (For use with Sea cat, Sea Killer & the 35mm mount); Decca RDL 1 passive direction finding equipment
They were refitted in the UK shortly before the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
History The ships were originally named after characters from Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. After the Islamic Revolution, they were renamed after mountains in Iran.
They saw action during the "Tanker War" phase of the Iran–Iraq War and proved effective against Iraqi forces. After one was sunk and another damaged during Operation Praying Mantis in 1988 they saw little further use, as the Iranian Navy proved no match for the U.S. Navy.
An Alvand-class frigate in port at Konarak, Iran was reported to have been struck from the air during the 2026 Iran war.
Upgrades
The Sea Killer missiles were replaced by Chinese made C-802s in the 1990s. The Sea Cats were replaced by the addition of a AA gun.
Two triple torpedo tubes, two mortars and two 0.50 caliber machine guns were also fitted.
Successors The is a modified Iranian-built version of the Alvand class, with three either in service or under construction.
Ships in class
+ Ships in the class Image Ship Pennant number Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Status (ex-Saam) 71 (ex DE 12) Vosper Thornycroft 3 March 1968 25 July 1968 May 1971 Sunk during the 2026 attack on Bandar Abbas. (ex-Zaal) 72 (ex DE 14) Vickers 3 March 1968 4 March 1969 1 March 1971 Destroyed. As of 12 May 2026, high res satellite confirms it was destroyed in dry dock. (ex-Rostam) 73 (ex DE 16) Vickers 4 March 1969 26 May 1972 Sunk during the 2026 attack on Bandar Abbas. (ex-Faramarz) 74 (ex DE 18) Vosper Thornycroft 30 July 1969 February 1972 Sunk on 18 April 1988 during Operation Praying Mantis. Its name was later reused for IRIS Sahand.
See also Islamic Republic of Iran Navy Current Iranian Navy vessels
References
Sources https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224923/http://www.iinavy.org/faramarz.htm http://www.mafhoum.com/press8/237P2.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20041222105239/http://www.ii.uj.edu.pl/~artur/enc/F2.htm
External links
Photos of Alvand-class frigates in Operation Praying Mantis