Tipping Point Quick Hits (06.08.23)

Hypersonic Iran, nuclear watchdog surrender, and secret alien tech?

Iran Unveils New Hypersonic Missile

On Tuesday this week, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was prepared to visit Saudi Arabia, Iran introduced a hypersonic missile called Fattah, which means “Conqueror” in Farsi. The news of this missile, which is said to be capable of traveling at 15 times the speed of sound, increased already-high tensions between Iran and Israel and deeply complicated discussions within the United States about Iran’s nuclear program:

Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace program, unveiled what appeared to be a model of the missile. Hajizadeh claimed the missile had a range of up to 1,400 kilometers (870 miles)…

“There exists no system that can rival or counter this missile,” Hajizadeh claimed.

Of course, the advanced speed of the Fattah system raises alarm bells in Israel. A truly hypersonic missile system in Iran’s arsenal—if we can trust the model and its descriptions—would significantly enhance its military capabilities and pose a direct threat to Israel’s security. The exceptional speed and maneuverability of hypersonic missiles make them difficult to intercept using traditional missile defense systems. They don’t move along a predictable trajectory like ballistic missiles. These have a “moveable nozzle” which allows them to adjust trajectories during flight. Irregular flight paths are much, much harder to intercept.