Iran unveils first hypersonic missile dubbed ‘Fattah’ meaning ‘Victory’ as 3,800mph rocket poses chilling threat to West
IRAN unveiled its first ever hypersonic ballistic missile today in a chilling threat to the West.
Dubbed “Fattah”, the 3,800mph rocket was unveiled by Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards at a grand ceremony attended by President Ebrahim Rahisi.
Tehran claims the new instrument of death can even the most high-tech of air defences by travelling five times the speed of sound.
Iranian state media said Fattah – meaning “Victory” – can target “the enemy’s advanced anti-missile systems and is a big generational leap in the field of missiles”.
“It can bypass the most advanced anti-ballistic missile systems of the United States and… Israel’s Iron Dome,” Iran’s state TV said as it broadcast what appeared to be a model of the missile.
General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards aerospace wing, claimed the rocket “can manoeuvre in and out of the atmosphere”.
He warned it would take “decades” for Western air defence system to catch up.
Hajizadeh first revealed the development of the hypersonic missile last November.
It comes days after Iran unveiled a long-range ballistic missile with a range of 1,242 miles.
The Kheybar precision-guided missile – the latest in Iran’s longest-range Khorramshahr line of missiles – can reportedly be launched in less than 12 minutes.
Despite international sanctions, Tehran has been able to develop a sizeable weapons industry capable to exporting military kit to allies like Russia, which it has denied doing.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard already have a vast arsenal of ballistic missiles.
And the regime vowed to continue to develop its missile programme despite increasing concerns from the West.
The concerns contributed to Donald Trump’s decision in 2018 to ditch Tehran’s 2015 nuclear pact with six major powers.
Talks to restore the agreement have stalled.
Last year, the UN’s atomic agency said Tehran was not cooperating with investigations into its nuclear programme.
Defence hawks have pointed to Iran’s track record of “exaggerating” its weapons capabilities.
In June last year, an Iranian scientist who was developing top-secret missiles and drones mysteriously died after a dinner party.
His death was the second in the same unit under the Revolutionary Guard in just two weeks.