Iran has unveiled an upgraded version of its hypersonic missile in a military exhibition for the country’s supreme leader.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday visited a university run by the aerospace division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Tehran, where a more advanced version of the Fattah hypersonic missile was put on display along with an array of arms, including the Iranian-made Gaza drone.
A new version of the Shahed series of unmanned aerial vehicles and an upgraded version of the 9-Dey missile defence system, capable of launching short to medium-range projectiles, were also unveiled.
The IRGC in addition displayed a new missile defence system called Mehran, which is said to employ solid-fuel missiles.
Iran had first unveiled the missile in June, joining a small club of countries, including China and Russia, which have weapons capable of travelling long distances with strong maneuverability.
The Iranian state media said the Fattah II missile is a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), a projectile that glides to its target after the initial launch, offering substantially more maneuverability compared to a ballistic warhead travelling in a more predictable arc pattern.