Kolkata: On June 18, Iran fired a pair of ballistic missile barrages at Israel with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Iranian Supreme Leader declaring that “the battle begins” amid escalating armed conflict between the two nations. Iran’s first salvo at Iran included around 15 projectiles and the next barrage, which began around 40 minutes later, had around 10 rockets.
Later, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed to have used hypersonic missiles in the attack and said in a statement, “The 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3 using Fattah-1 missiles was carried out”, and claimed that Iranian forces “have gained complete control over the skies of the occupied territories.”
What is Fattah-1?
The Fattah missile was unveiled in 2023, and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself named it. On October 1, 2024, Iran reportedly fired dozens of Fattah-1 missiles at Jerusalem, but this is probably the first time the missile has been used in an ongoing conflict.
According to the IRGC, the Fattah-1 is the “Israel-striker”, and interestingly, during its unveiling, there was a large banner in Tehran with a message in Hebrew, “400 seconds to Tel Aviv.” It is the first hypersonic missile of Iran and its reputation is based on accuracy, high speed, and ability to change course mid-flight. It has been reportedly developed to dodge advanced missile defence systems like the Iron Dome and Arrow of Israel.
It is a hypersonic missile, something that can travel within Earth’s atmosphere at very high speeds. It is extremely difficult to intercept such missiles because they can move at high speed and change direction very quickly. The Iran Watch states that the range of Fattah-1 is up to 1,400 kilometres. It uses solid fuel to operate and has a single-stage propulsion system. As per Iran, the missile reaches Mach 5, or about 6,100 kilometres per hour.
Fabian Hinz, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told CNN that the missile most probably carries a warhead on a “manoeuvrable reentry vehicle”, which allows it to change direction for a brief period while descending to avoid defences. But whether Iran has used the missile during the ongoing conflict with Israel is a fact disputed by experts. Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosive ordnance technician, told CNN, “It’s one of their newest ballistic missiles, and they have a lot to lose from using it.” He added that Israel can get an idea of the missile if Iran uses it, and if it fails to work, then Israel will get a chance of “free propaganda”.
