Iran’s Islamic Guard has revealed that it has developed a hypersonic missile, which it views as a significant advancement for the nation’s defence industry.
“High-speed manoeuvrability allows this missile to enter and exit the atmosphere. It represents a significant development in the field of missiles and was created to take aim at the enemy’s sophisticated missile defence system.” Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) space force, stated today after revealing that the nation had developed a hypersonic missile.
General Hajizadeh withheld information about the hypersonic missile, and there is no evidence that Iran has ever fired a test missile.
Iran revealed last week that it has successfully tested Ghaem 100, a first-ever three-stage rocket that can launch a satellite weighing 80 kilos into an orbit 500 kilometres above the planet. The US described the action as “destabilising,” claiming that Iran could use its rockets to carry nuclear bombs.
Tehran has repeatedly denied accusations of developing nuclear weapons.
Hypersonic missiles are weapons that have a minimum speed of 5 times the speed of sound, equivalent to more than 6,200 km/h. The high speed and complex trajectory make hypersonic weapons nearly impossible to intercept with today’s defensive shields.
The US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said Iran has a very large missile development program, whose scale and sophistication continue to increase despite decades of containment efforts. Iran’s missile force is “the largest in the Middle East”. An unnamed US intelligence official revealed that this assessment was made when compared with the missile potential of Israel, the country with the leading defense in the region.
