Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Aerospace Force has announced the production of a new hypersonic ballistic missile, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported Thursday.
Hypersonic missiles can travel at between five and 25 times the speed of sound; about one to five miles per second (1.6 to 8.0 kilometers per second).
The new missile can penetrate advanced air defense systems to hit its targets, Brigadier General Amir Ali Jahizadeh told reporters in a news briefing, adding that it has a high velocity and can maneuver below and above the Earth’s atmosphere.
“I don’t think any technology will be found for tens of years that will be capable of countering it,” Jahizadeh said.
Iran has sent hundreds of short-range ballistic missiles, like the Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar, to Russia in recent months for use in its war against Ukraine.
Such missiles can strike anywhere in the country, further targeting Ukraine’s battered energy infrastructure.
Earlier this month, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced he would consider a civilian evacuation if the city suffers a total blackout.
“Our enemies are doing everything for the city to be without heat, without electricity, without water supply, in general, so we all die,” he said.
The city was faced with a set of emergency blackouts three days ago due to a shortage of electricity.
