Iran said it has successfully tested an indigenously-developed hypersonic ballistic missile that will soon be unveiled.
The missile can penetrate “all air defense missile systems” and detonate the enemy’s anti-missile systems, Tasnim News Agency wrote, citing the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ aerospace force General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
Hajizadeh added that the missile can fly at a speed of Mach 12-13 and “maneuver both in and out of the earth’s atmosphere.”
A hypersonic missile flies at over Mach 5 and at a lower trajectory than a ballistic missile in the atmosphere, allowing it to reach a target much more quickly.
New Ballistic Missile Unveiled
Hajizadeh made similar remarks in November last year while announcing the missile’s development.
The latest announcement comes days after the Persian Gulf state unveiled a long-range ballistic missile that has a stated range of 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) — enough to hit Israel — and a warhead of 1,550 kilograms (3,417 pounds).
The Kheybar precision-guided missile, the latest in Iran’s longest-range Khorramshahr line of missiles, has a speed of Mach 8-12 and can reportedly be launched in less than 12 minutes.
