All About Fattah-1, Iran's Hypersonic Missile Fired At Israel

Iran on Wednesday claimed to have fired hypersonic missiles at Israel in the latest round of overnight strikes as the Islamic republic's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, launched a battle cry, calling for showing "no mercy" toward Israelis. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said the 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3 was carried out "using Fattah-1 missiles", as they claimed the Iranian forces "have gained complete control over the skies of the occupied territories".

This is not the first time Tehran has used hypersonic missiles against Jerusalem. Iran had used dozens of Fattah-1 missiles to pound Israel during its Operation True Promise II against Jerusalem on October 1, 2024. However, this seems to be the first occasion when the said missile was used in the ongoing conflict.

What's A Hypersonic Missile?

The term "hypersonic" is often used to refer to hypersonic glide vehicles and hypersonic cruise missiles. They are highly advanced weapons and can manoeuvre mid-flight at hypersonic speed inside Earth's atmosphere, which makes it very hard to track and intercept. 

Hypersonic missiles travel at Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound (about 3,800 miles per hour, 6,100 kilometres per hour). But according to a CNN report, almost all ballistic missiles reach hypersonic speed during their flights, especially as they dive towards their targets.

About The Fattah-1 Hypersonic Missile

The Fattah-1-- Iran's first hypersonic missile-- was first unveiled in 2023 and is named by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has fired a Fattah-1 hypersonic missile at Israel. Photo Credit: Image posted by X by @benny0692698414

According to reports, Fattah-1 is designed to get past even the most advanced missile defence systems like Israel's Iron Dome and Arrow. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps describe it as the "Israel-striker".

The missile is 12 meters in length and has a range of up to 1,400 kilometres. It runs on solid fuel using a single-stage propulsion system and can carry 200 kilograms of explosives, according to a report by Iran Watch. 

Fattah-1 is equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) warhead designed to evade enemy defences and can travel at speeds of up to 17,900 kilometres per hour.  It's a medium-range missile. 

According to a CNN report, Fabian Hinz, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, describes the missile as a warhead placed on a "manoeuvrable reentry vehicle", which lets it shift direction briefly during its descent to avoid interception.

Israel-Iran Conflict

Despite international alarm, neither Iran nor Israel is backing down from the long-range blitz that began Friday, when Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities.

Residential areas in both countries have suffered deadly strikes since the fighting broke out, and foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate their citizens.

Israel claims its attacks have killed senior Iranian commander Ali Shadmani as well as his predecessor, Gholam Ali Rashid.