Illustrative image.
The range of the next version of the Iranian Fattah hypersonic ballistic missile will be extended to 2,000 kilometers, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force, who developed the missile, announced on June 24.
Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh made the announcement while attending a ceremony in the northern province of Mazandaran.
“Today, we have achieved all complex technologies in the field of the defense industry,” the commander said during the ceremony, according to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
Brig. Gen Hajizadeh also said that the Iranian people will hear more good news in the field of the country’s missile power in the near future.
The Fattah, which was unveiled earlier this month, can travel at 15 times the speed of sound. The current version of the missile has a range of up to 1,400 kilometers, which means it can reach most U.S. bases in the Middle East as well as Israel from Iranian territory.
Hypersonic missiles like the Fattah reach their top speed at low altitudes in the atmosphere, which makes them extremely difficult to track and intercept.
Days after the unveiling of the Fattah, the United States imposed sanctions on a network of people and firms from Iran, China and Hong Kong that were allegedly associated with the development of Iran’s missile program. In addition, Israel’s Rafael defense contractor announced that it had been developing a first-of-its-kind anti-hypersonic missile defense system, dubbed Sky Sonic.
Iran expanded its missile program and made a number of breakthroughs in the field over the last few years, despite facing strict sanctions by the U.S. and other Western countries as well as repeated sabotage attempts by Israel.
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