Iran says it has built hypersonic ballistic missile

Iran says its new weapon targets anti-missile defence systems and represents a ‘major generational leap’

Hypersonic weapons can move at five times the speed of sound, which makes them difficult to intercept

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Last week, Iran said it tested the Ghaem-100, its first three-stage space launch vehicle, which would be able to place satellites in an orbit. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:41pm, 10 Nov 2022Updated: 11:17pm, 10 Nov 2022

Iran has built a hypersonic ballistic missile, the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted the Revolutionary Guards’ aerospace commander as saying, in remarks likely to heighten concerns about Iranian missile capabilities.

“This missile has a high speed and can manoeuvre in and out of the atmosphere. It will target the enemy’s advanced anti-missile systems and is a big generational leap in the field of missiles,” commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh was quoted as saying.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi expressed concerns about the announcement.

“We see that all these announcements increase the attention, increase the concerns, increase the public attention to the Iranian nuclear programme,” Grossi said.

But he added that he does not see this as “having any influence” on negotiations over the Islamic republic’s nuclear programme.

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.

Russia currently leads the race to develop the missiles, followed by China and the United States. North Korea said it test-fired a hypersonic missile earlier this year.