What is Fattah-II, Iran’s new missile, which can 'evade' Israel defence system?

 Iran on Sunday unveiled its new Fattah-II hypersonic missile. Tehran claimed that the weapon, a new version of its first domestically made hypersonic ballistic missile it unveiled in June, can evade even the most advanced anti-ballistic missile systems of the United States and Israel.

  Iran showcased the Fattah-II at an exhibition of the achievements of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ (IRGC) Aerospace Force in Tehran in the presence of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei on Sunday called on Muslim nations to at least temporarily cut ties with Israel in the backdrop of the ongoing conflict with Hamas. “Some Islamic governments have condemned Israeli crimes in assemblies while some have not. This is unacceptable,” Khamenei said. But what do we know about the Fattah-II hypersonic missile? Let’s take a closer look: Fattah means conqueror in Farsi. The missile was put on display at the IRGC’s Ashura Aerospace Science and Technology University, as per The Times of Israel. According to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, Fattah-II is equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) warhead that can manoeuvre and glide at hypersonic speed. The precision-guided two-stage missile, can hit targets within a range of 1,400 kilometres with a velocity of Mach 13 (about 16,000 km/h), according t_o Tasnim_. However, The Jerusalem Post reported that the Fattah-II missile can touch a speed of Mach 20 (24,696 kilometres per hour).

As per The Times of Israel, the HGB separates from the warhead.

It can make quick turns to avoid defence systems. It is equipped with a warhead that has a spherical engine running on solid fuel and movable nozzles that allow the missile to manoeuvre in all directions both in and out of the Earth’s atmosphere, Tasnim said. Hypersonic missiles can fly at least five times faster than the speed of sound and on a complex trajectory, which makes them difficult to intercept. China is believed to be pursuing the weapons, as is America. Russia claims to already be fielding the weapons and has said it used them on the battlefield in Ukraine. The Guard already has a vast arsenal of ballistic missiles. Iran in June presented the Fattah missile – what officials described as its first domestically made hypersonic ballistic missile, as per the official IRNA news agency. Officials at the time said they wanted to upgrade Fattah’s range from 1,400 to 2,000 kilometres – putting Israel within reach. [caption id=“attachment_13408642” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Western military analysts say Iran sometimes exaggerates its missile capabilities. AP[/caption] Iranian state media had published pictures of the missile named Fattah at a ceremony attended by President Ebrahim Raisi and commanders of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps. “Some may ask ‘what is the purpose of manufacturing missiles?’ They are for deterrence, for defence,” Raisi was quoted as saying by PressTV.Ir. “We build missiles so that we do not suffer from aggression by the enemies and so that we have the power that the enemies would not even think of an act of aggression against the Islamic Republic.” Raeisi added that, “Defence and missile industries have become indigenous in Iran. As Iran does not import its defence weapons, therefore nothing can threaten to marginalise this advanced industry.” “The precision-guided Fattah hypersonic missile has a range of 1,400 km and it is capable of penetrating all defence shields,” Amirali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guards’ aerospace force, was quoted as saying by Iranian state media. “Our activities in this field do not end with the manufacturing of this missile. We will continue this path so that no enemy even imagines attacking Iran,” the IRGC commander added, as per PressTV.IR State TV said Iran’s Fattah missile 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 the Zionist regime, including Israel’s Iron Dome,” Iran’s state TV said. Fattah’s top speed reached Mach 14 levels (15,000km/h), it added. Last year, the Islamic Republic said it had built a hypersonic ballistic missile which can manoeuvre in and out of the atmosphere. General Amir Ali Hajizadeh of the Revolutionary Guard claimed that Iran had created a hypersonic missile, without offering any evidence in support. Despite US and European opposition, the Islamic Republic has said it will further develop its defensive missile programme.

However, Western military analysts say Iran sometimes exaggerates its missile capabilities.

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Concerns about Iran’s ballistic missiles contributed to then-US president Donald Trump’s decision in 2018 to ditch Tehran’s 2015 nuclear pact with six major powers. Trump reimposed US sanctions on Iran after exiting the nuclear pact, leading Tehran to resume previously banned nuclear work and reviving US, European and Israeli fears that Iran may seek an atomic bomb. Iran has consistently denied any such ambition. Indirect talks between Tehran and US president Joe Biden’s administration to salvage the nuclear deal have stalled since last September. Israel, which the Islamic Republic refuses to recognise, opposes efforts by world powers to revive Tehran’s nuclear deal and has long threatened military action if diplomacy fails. ”I hear our enemies boasting about weapons they are developing,” Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant said at the time. “To any such development, we have an even better response - whether it be on land, in the air, or in the maritime arena, including both defensive and offensive means.” Al Jazeera quoted Khamenei as saying Israel was a “Zionist regime is a symbol of racism” and that Western support for Gaza being carpet-bombed is a sign that Western leaders “also believe in racism and see nothing wrong with it”. With inputs from agencies