Iran claims to have developed a hypersonic missile

Iran says it has developed a hypersonic Fattah missile capable of travelling at 15 times the speed of sound.

Source: IRNA News Agency, The Guardian

Quote from IRNA: "The domestically-developed hypersonic missile ‘Fattah’, Iran IRGC's most recent achievement, was unveiled on Tuesday morning (June 6) in the presence of President Ebrahim Raisi."

Details: This statement was made against the background of a high level of tension in relations with the United States regarding Tehran's nuclear program.

Iran's state television said the missile, called Fattah, or "Conqueror" in Farsi, has a range of up to 870 miles (1,400 km).

The report also claimed that the missile could pass through any regional missile defence system, but no evidence supported this claim.

The broadcast showed what appeared to be a model missile that the Revolutionary Guard Corps presented to President Ebrahim Raisi.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps already has a large arsenal of ballistic missiles.

Background: In November, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Iran had developed a hypersonic missile, without providing any evidence to back it up.

The announcement came in September, amid nationwide protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was arrested by the country's "morality police".

For reference: Hypersonic weapons, which fly at speeds over Mach 5, five times the speed of sound, can pose serious challenges to missile defence systems due to their speed and manoeuvrability.

It is believed that China and the United States are working on creating this weapon.

Russia claims it is already deploying the weapon and has said it used it on the battlefield in Ukraine.

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