Iran Unveils New Hypersonic Missile

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Amidst tensions with the U.S. Iran claims to have created a hypersonic missile able to beat air defenses.
As tensions are high between Iran and the U.S. over Teheran’s nuclear program, Iran announced on Tuesday that it had created a hypersonic missile called Fattah, or “conqueror” in Farsi. They say it is capable of traveling at 15 times the speed of sound, and have a range of 1,400km, as well as be capable of penetrating all defense shields.
According to Reuters, hypersonic weapons, which fly five times the speed of sound, could pose crucial challenges to missile defense systems because of their speed and maneuverability.
At the unveiling event, Hajizadeh claimed that “there exists no system that can rival or counter this missile.” This claim depends on the missile’s speed and maneuverability- the more irregular the missile’s flight path, the more difficult it becomes to intercept. The unveiling event showed a moveable nozzle for the Fattah, which could allow it to change trajectories in flight, this according to TIME.
Iranian officials did not release footage of the missile successfully launching and striking a target.
The first claims of such a missile were made in November of 2022, when Hajizadeh initially claimed that Iran had created a hypersonic missile, without offering evidence to support it.
China is believed to be pursuing the weapons, as is America, while Russia claims to already be fielding and using the weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine.