What ballistic and hypersonic missiles has Iran used against Israel?

What ballistic and hypersonic missiles has Iran used against Israel?

The attack that Iran carried out this Tuesday against Israel, despite its scale with the launch of about 200 ballistic missileshardly caused any casualties. The only mortal was a Palestinian citizen in Gaza on whom the booster stage of one of the rockets fell. Israel’s air defense systems, with the help of the forces of USA displaced in the Middle East, They managed to contain the attack. In the last few hours, the number of missiles launched by Iran as part of ‘Operation True Promise 2’ has been reduced to about 180mostly Emad-1of which some 30 were hypersonic missiles, including the Fattah -2.

Hypersonic missiles are those that can reach speeds above Mach 5; that is, higher than 6,175 kilometers per hour.

This coordinated attack also included the use of 170 dronesanother crucial component of Iran’s military strategy. Drones attacked detection systems and weakened rapid response capabilities, while Emad ballistic missiles and Fattah hypersonic ballistic missiles attacked infrastructure.

Fattah-2 hypersonic ballistic missile

However, the most innovative aspect of this operation lies in the launch of the 30 hypersonic missiles. Among them, the Fattah -2 which has been used for the first time in a conflict. This hypersonic missile, capable of flying at a speed of Mach 13 (16,000 km/h)stands out for its ability to evade conventional defense systems thanks to its high-speed maneuverability. With an estimated range of 1,400 kilometersthe Fattah-2 can not only reach its targets in record time, but is also designed to change course during flightwhich makes its interception extremely difficult. Its payload, designed for precision strikes, makes it a suitable weapon for attacking critical infrastructure.

The offensive has tested Israeli defense systems, especially anti-missile batteries Iron Dome, Arrow-2 and Arrow-3. So far, no precise figures have been presented to demonstrate how effectively the Fattah -2 was intercepted. Iran claims that 90% of the means used in the attack achieved their objectives, a figure that hardly matches the number of casualties caused in Israel.

Emad-1 ballistic missile

He Emad-1 It is a medium-range missile capable of hitting targets at almost 1,700 kilometers away precisely. Thanks to their terminal guidance system, these missiles can adjust its trajectory in the final phase of flightthus increasing its effectiveness.

It has been developed by Iran and has been used since 2015 by Aerospace Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGCASF). It represents an important milestone in its military capabilities, being one of the first weapons of its type to incorporate an advanced guidance systemthus improving its accuracy compared to previous models. The Emad-1 missile is powered by liquid fuel, a technology that, although older than solid propellants, allows greater flexibility in adjusting parameters before launch.

With a diameter of 1.25 metersthe Emad is designed to carry a single warhead, allowing it to hit targets at up to 1,700 kilometers away. This range makes it possible to hit targets in much of the Middle East, including Israel, with remarkable precision. In fact, the missile has a circular error probable (CEP) of 50 metersmeaning its margin of error on impact is relatively small, a significant improvement over older ballistic systems.

Fattah-1 hypersonic ballistic missile

Another two-stage hypersonic ballistic missile used in the attack was the Fattah-1. Produced by Iran since 2022, uses a solid fuel engine, has a range of 1,400 kilometers and a speed of up to Mach 15 (18,525 km/h). The main difference between this missile and its successor is that the Fattah-2 has greater maneuverability, since it can change its course, while Fattah-1 follows a more predictable ballistic trajectory.