TEHRAN, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Iran's navy commander said that the country's homegrown submarine will come on stream by March 2019, Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday.
The manufacturing process of Fateh (Conqueror) has already finished and the submarine is now undergoing laboratory and field tests, Navy Commander Hossein Khanzadi told Tasnim.
Iran is also planning to manufacture the second upgraded version of the military watercraft, said Khanzadi.
The second version of Fateh will be much better, he said, adding that the Iranian submarines will serve as the "powerful subsurface fleet" in Iran's southern waters for effective deterrence purposes.
The fact that Iran has the technical know-how to manufacture submarines indicates that the country has no limitations in producing other military equipment, he stressed.
On Thursday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Ali Reza Tangsiri as the new commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps' (IRGC) navy.
Khamenei said the decision for the appointment has been made with regard to the new commander's "commitment, competency and valuable experiences."
He also called on Tangsiri to push for promoting the training skills and upgrade the maritime equipment.
Khamenei has underlined to promote security of the region through the cooperation with other regional countries, refuting the presence of non-regional forces.
Khamenei has also called for the enhancement of the Iranian naval forces' presence in international waters and expanding the navy's power in balance with the merit of the Islamic establishment.
