Fattah - Iran's Hypersonic Weapon

Recent news from Iran will prove to be a game changer in the Middle East.  Here is the report from Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA):

 

Here is a brief video showing the Fattah:

 

According to IRNA, Iran's hypersonic missile named Fattah has a range of 1400 kilometres, putting them within striking distance of Israel, and can reach speeds of between Mach 13 and Mach 15 (i.e. 13 to 15 times the speed of sound).  Earlier claims by Iran suggest that the missiles could reach Israel within 400 seconds of launch.

 

In the case of traditional ballistic missiles, launched missiles travel into the atmosphere on an arc-shaped trajectory, returning to earth at potentially hypersonic speeds.  In contrast, hypersonic missiles which travel faster than Mach 5 eliminate the arc-shaped trajectory, remaining much closer to the surface of the earth where they can use aerodynamic design features to maneuvre.  This feature makes them much harder to track and detect and means that they can avoid traditional defensive countermeasures.  Their high speed means that they can reach far distant targets within 15 to 30 minutes of launching, another important feature which makes them difficult to defend against.

 

There are three main types of hypersonic weapons:

 

1.) hypersonic cruise missiles - these are similar to existing cruise missiles, using aerodynamic lift to remain in flight and are powered throughout their entire flight.  They are not as fast as a hypersonic glide vehicle but fly at low altitudes and high speeds making it difficult to defend against.

 

2.) maneuverable reentry vehicles/glide vehicles - these are launched like ballistic missiles but reenter the atmosphere fairly quickly before gliding hundreds or even thousands of miles to their target (i.e. boost-glide vehicles).

 

3.) aero-ballistic/air-launched missiles - these are launched from aircraft which allows the aircraft to remain at long distances from their target

 

Here is a video from the Carnegy Endowment outlining the hypersonic missile technology:

 

Iran has now joined the small group of nations that have developed hypersonic missile technology; Russia which has a very advanced hypersonic missile program that may have been used in Ukraine, China, the United States and North Korea.  Other nations are also developing hypersonic missile technology including Australia, India, France, Germany and Japan with Israel and South Korea having done preliminary research on hypersonic weapons.

 

The United States is relatively behind in its hypersonic weapons program.  Here is a press release from August 2022 from Raytheon bragging about how its hypersonic cruise missile passed its second consecutive flight test:

 

According to the Congressional Budget Office, hypersonic missiles cost one-third more to procure and field than ballistic missiles with the same range with maneuverable warheads.

If Iran is not exaggerating the capabilities of its Fattah hypersonic missile, Israel will be forced to respond with either significantly improved defensive capabilities or a hypersonic missile of its own.  At the very least, this development will prove to be a deterrent should Israel choose to attack its existential enemy.