Iran this week unveiled a new hypersonic missile this weekend during an exhibition held Sunday by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force at the Ashura Aerospace University of Science and Technology in Tehran.
The Fattah II is a ballistic missile with a hypersonic glide vehicle warhead that can maneuver and glide at hypersonic speeds, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.
Hypersonic weapons fly at speeds greater than Mach 5, as opposed to the speed and trajectory of standard ballistic missiles, which are easier for anti-missile aerial defense systems to intercept. The actual speed of the Fattah II is unclear, with claims ranging from Mach 5 to Mach 20.
Iran unveil new Fattah-2 hypersonic missile pic.twitter.com/8m7N4GXM1k
— AoR News ???????????? (@AoR3138) November 19, 2023
A previous version of the Fattah missile was introduced this past June, with a range of 1,400 kilometers and an alleged speed of Mach-13-15 (13 to 15 times the speed of sound), according to Iran’s FARS News Agency.
Iran claims the Fattah missiles cannot be countered by any defense system, nor can a hypersonic missile be destroyed by any other missile, due to its varied movements.
That’s not true, however.
Rafael Develops ‘Sky Sonic’ Anti-Hypersonic Missile Defense System
Israel’s Rafael Advance Defense Systems has already produced the Sky Sonic anti-hypersonic missile defense system to counter any such threat. The Israeli company announced the new system in June, right after Iran announced the development of its Fattah hypersonic missile, and officially unveiled the system for the first time shortly thereafter at the Paris Air Show, one of the world’s largest aerospace exhibitions.
IRGC Deputy Commander: Israel Powerless Against Iran's Hypersonic Missileshttps://t.co/d1Ema1IhQ8 pic.twitter.com/vBr36vwtyQ
— Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars) September 10, 2023
“Our activities in this field do not end with the manufacturing of this missile. We will continue this path so that no enemy even imagines attacking Iran,” IRGC Aerospace Commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said. “Israel is powerless against Iran’s hypersonic missiles.”
The HGV warhead allows the missile to change its trajectory after launch, making it harder for radar to track due to its unpredictability.
