Israeli media has identified Iran’s newly unveiled hypersonic missile as a new threat to Israel and the US, as reported by Al Mayadeen on November 20. 

Iran unveiled an upgraded version of its hypersonic missile, named Fattah 2, at an exhibition of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on November 19, according to IRNA. Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi were present at the event and participated in the unveiling ceremony of the new missile. 

Maariv, an Israeli newspaper, views the missile as a menacing message directed at the US and Israel. The newspaper highlights its particular concern because the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims it possesses the capability to bypass even the most advanced anti-ballistic missile systems in both countries. Iran asserts that it domestically developed this missile despite Western sanctions.

Another Israeli website, Walla, reports that the new missile is specifically designed to counter the Hetz anti-ballistic missile system, which Israel developed with American support and funding. Tal Inbar, an expert with years of experience studying Iranian missiles, mentioned that the information displayed about the missile indicates progress made by Iran in the field of missiles and unmanned vehicles. He also emphasised the futility of imposing sanctions and technological blockades on Iran.

The missile, classified as a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) missile and Hypersonic Cruise Missile (HCM), possesses both glide and cruise capabilities. HGVs are warheads for ballistic missiles that can manoeuvre and glide at hypersonic speeds, altering the trajectories of ballistic missiles post-launch. Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the IRGC Aerospace Commander, says Iran is one of the four countries capable of producing this type of missile.

According to the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency, Fattah 2 has a different design than its predecessor and has undergone several changes. Unlike the first version, which used a spherical solid fuel engine, the upgrade uses a liquid fuel rocket propellant with hydrazine fuel. This engine enables Fattah 2 to travel complex and unpredictable routes in the atmosphere. Additionally, the liquid fuel engine has the ability to adjust the thrust force, optimising the flight path, achieving greater range, and providing better control over the flight speed. Similar to the previous version, Fattah 2 has a primary accelerator engine similar to the engine of the IRGC’s Kheibar Shekan rocket. 

Fattah 2 has a reported range of 1,500 kilometres. The Iranian media news report announced the speed of this new weapon as Mach 10.