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Iran claims to have deployed its Fattah-2 hypersonic missile amid its escalating confrontation with the United States and Israel. If confirmed, this would represent the first operational use of the Fattah-2, which is described as a significantly upgraded successor to the Islamic Republic’s Fattah ballistic missile.Although videos circulating on social media that allegedly show the Fattah-2 missile have not yet been independently verified, Military Watch magazine suggests that Iran may have used missiles such as the Fattah-1 and Fattah-2 to strike high-value targets. The strikes have intensified significantly after the killing of the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose compound was specifically hit on the first day of the conflict.Fattah-2 missile
- Fattah-2 was unveiled in November 2023 by the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and is designed to use a hypersonic glide vehicle rather than a conventional ballistic missile reentry vehicle.
- This allows it to manoeuvre in both pitch and yaw, to maintain far higher reentry speeds, and to approach targets from unexpected directions.
- Iranian officials assert that the Fattah-2 missile can reach speeds of up to Mach 15 and hit targets at distances of up to 1,400 km.
- Although analysts have expressed skepticism about these claims, a missile traveling at Mach 15 would theoretically be capable of evading conventional missile defense systems.
- Additionally, the hypersonic missile is reported to carry a powerful 200 kg warhead.
Conflict spills over to Gulf statesTehran has also launched retaliatory strikes against Gulf states hosting US military bases, deploying large barrages of missiles, drones, and other weapons aimed at American installations in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar. These attacks targeted US embassies and military facilities, including bases and fleet headquarters, forcing Gulf air defence systems to intercept hundreds of incoming projectiles. Some explosions and falling debris, however, struck civilian infrastructure and resulted in casualties in the affected areas.
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