Air Defense

IRIS Dena

Also known as
  • Dena
  • IRIS Dena (75)

IRIS Dena is an Iranian Moudge-class light guided-missile frigate built at the Shahid Darvishi yard near Bandar Abbas, fitted with Asr phased-array radar and a mixed missile-and-gun armament, commissioned in 2021, and sunk by a U.S. submarine in March 2026 during the 2020 United States-Iran Conflict.

IRIS Dena, Light guided-missile frigate, Air Defense
Image source: IRIS Dena.webp

Role in Conflicts

2020 United States-Iran Conflict
Side
Iran
Role in conflict
Surface combatant

2020 United States-Iran Conflict: fielded by the Iranian Navy as a Moudge-class frigate until a U.S. submarine sank IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka on 4 March 2026.

Design Notes

Open-source descriptions of Dena emphasize the ship's incremental modernization rather than a clean-sheet redesign.

TopicDetailWhy it stands out
Build yardCovert Shores identifies Dena as the first Mowj-class ship built at the Shahid Darvishi yard near Bandar Abbas.That made Dena a domestic production milestone for the class.
SensorsThe same source says Dena carries a version of the Asr phased-array radar.The radar fit was treated as one of the ship's more notable upgrades.
Air-defense fitCovert Shores said rumors of a new vertical-launch system did not pan out, and that Dena retained older weapons such as the 40 mm Bofors-type gun.The frigate stayed closer to earlier Moudge-class configurations than some pre-launch speculation suggested.
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Iran
Type
Light guided-missile frigate
Service note
Commissioned in 2021 and sunk in 2026
Designer
Iranian Navy and domestic shipyards
Designed
2000s Moudge-class development lineage
Unit cost
Not publicly documented
Produced
2010s
Number built
1

Specifications

Crew
About 140
Displacement
About 1,500 tonnes
Length
About 95 m
Beam
About 11.1 m
Speed
About 30 knots
Propulsion
Two 10,000 hp engines and four diesel generators
Armament
4 Qader anti-ship missiles, 2 Sayyad air-defense missiles, 1 76 mm naval gun, 1 40 mm AA cannon, 2 20 mm cannons, 2 12.7 mm heavy machine guns, and 2 triple 324 mm torpedo tubes
Aircraft facilities
Aft helipad, no hangar
Sensors
Asr 3D PESA radar
Variants
  • Moudge-class frigate
Carried Munitions

Open-source descriptions of Dena's armament identify a mix of anti-ship missiles, air-defense missiles, guns, and torpedoes.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
Ghader anti-ship cruise missile, Anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsGhader anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missile

Covert Shores describes IRIS Dena as carrying four Qader anti-ship missiles, which map to the Qader/Ghader family in the catalog.

Sources: Iranian-Navy-Mowj-Class - IRIS Dena

Timeline

IRIS Dena Key Events

  1. Covert Shores reports Dena had been delivered

    Covert Shores described IRIS Dena as the first Mowj-class ship built at the Shahid Darvishi yard near Bandar Abbas and said the Iranian Navy had taken delivery of it.

    Sources: Iranian-Navy-Mowj-Class - IRIS Dena

  2. Sunk off Sri Lanka by a U.S. submarine

    AP and USNI reported that a U.S. submarine torpedoed IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka on 4 March 2026.

    Sources: AP on Dena sinking, USNI Dena torpedo strike, Moudge-class: Frigate Specs & History (2026)

Media

IRIS Dena Images

IRIS Dena, Light guided-missile frigate, Air Defense - view 1
Source: IRIS Dena.webp
IRIS Dena, Light guided-missile frigate, Air Defense - view 2
Source: Official welcome ceremony of the 86th naval group (015).jpg
Related Weapon Systems
IRIS Shahid Sayyad Shirazi / Shahid Soleimani-class corvette, Missile catamaran corvette, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsIRIS Shahid Sayyad Shirazi / Shahid Soleimani-class corvetteMissile catamaran corvetteIRIS Shahid Sayyad Shirazi is a Shahid Soleimani-class Iranian missile catamaran corvette built for the IRGC Navy's littoral strike, escort, and air-defense missions. The 2024-commissioned ship combined a compact wave-piercing hull with anti-ship missiles, vertical-launch air-defense weapons, a flight deck, and boat-carrying capacity before U.S. forces struck it during Operation Epic Fury in March 2026.
Iranian submarines, Diesel-electric submarine force, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsIranian submarinesDiesel-electric submarine forceIranian submarines are the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy's mixed diesel-electric submarine force, combining Russian-built Tareq/Kilo boats with domestically built Fateh, Ghadir, and smaller midget-submarine classes. Centered on Bandar Abbas and the Strait of Hormuz, the fleet supports coastal sea denial, mine warfare, and anti-ship strike; during Operation Epic Fury, CENTCOM listed Iranian Navy ships and submarines among vessels damaged or destroyed.
Iranian naval surface vessels, Naval surface vessels, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsIranian naval surface vesselsNaval surface vesselsIranian naval surface vessels in this catalog cover two overlapping fleets: the regular Islamic Republic of Iran Navy's larger frigates, corvettes, and missile boats, and the IRGC Navy's missile boats, patrol craft, fast-attack craft, small boats, and newer missile catamarans. The fleet is usually described as a Strait of Hormuz and Gulf littoral force, combining anti-ship missiles, swarm tactics, boarding pressure, mine-capable boats, and limited larger-combatant presence rather than a peer blue-water surface fleet.
Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites, HF over-the-horizon 3D phased-array early-warning and coastal surveillance radar, Air DefenseAir DefenseIranian coastal surveillance radar sitesHF over-the-horizon 3D phased-array early-warning and coastal surveillance radarIranian coastal surveillance radar sites cover fixed early-warning and maritime-monitoring radars used around the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and wider Iranian air-defense network. Public sources identify Ghadir/Qadir as a reported HF over-the-horizon 3D phased-array radar family, while CENTCOM's 2026 strike releases identify coastal radar sites at Goruk, Qeshm Island, and later Iranian coastal locations without publicly naming every radar model.
Sevom Khordad / 3rd Khordad air-defense system, Medium-range surface-to-air missile system, Air DefenseAir DefenseSevom Khordad / 3rd Khordad air-defense systemMedium-range surface-to-air missile systemSevom Khordad, also known as 3rd Khordad, is an Iranian road-mobile medium-range surface-to-air missile system built around a self-contained TELAR and phased-array radar. Its best-documented combat use is the June 2019 shootdown of a U.S. Navy BAMS-D/RQ-4A Global Hawk near the Strait of Hormuz; later 2026 reporting identified Third Khordad as a possible system in an F-15E shootdown claim, but that launcher attribution remained less certain.

Sources

Moudge-class: Frigate Specs & History (2026)Publisher: GlobalMilitary.net | Note: Supports Moudge-class background and core specifications for the Iranian light frigate family that includes IRIS Dena; the page also identifies Dena's 2021 commissioning and 2026 loss. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Iranian-Navy-Mowj-Class - IRIS DenaPublisher: Covert Shores | Note: Supports IRIS Dena background, class development, the first Shahid Darvishi-built Moudge-class frigate, its Asr radar, and its carried missiles and gun fit. | Accessed: 2026-06-20AP on Dena sinkingPublisher: Associated Press | Note: 2020 United States-Iran Conflict: fielded by the Iranian Navy until a U.S. submarine sank IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka on 4 March 2026. | Accessed: 2026-06-20USNI Dena torpedo strikePublisher: USNI News | Note: 2020 United States-Iran Conflict: fielded by the Iranian Navy as the Moudge-class frigate IRIS Dena and sunk by a U.S. submarine off Sri Lanka on 4 March 2026. | Accessed: 2026-06-20IRIS Dena.webpPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the primary image provenance and Government of India GODL-India licensing for the IFR-26 image of IRIS Dena. | Accessed: 2026-06-20INS Shakti (A57) with IRIS Dena (75) and Russian cruiser Varyag during Milan exercise 2024.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance and Government of India GODL-India licensing for the Indian Navy image showing IRIS Dena at MILAN 2024. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Official welcome ceremony of the 86th naval group (015).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance and CC BY 4.0 licensing for the Fars News ceremony photo showing IRIS Dena with the 86th naval group. | Accessed: 2026-06-20