Hypersonic Missiles.

Fattah-1 Hypersonic Missile.

The Fattah‑1 is a hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile developed and manufactured by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force (IRGC AF) of Iran. Unveiled during a formal ceremony in Tehran on June 6, 2023, it represents Iran’s first entry into the hypersonic weapons category, significantly enhancing its strategic missile capabilities.

Country users: Iran

Description

The Fattah‑1 is a highly advanced hypersonic ballistic missile, engineered to overcome modern air defense systems through a combination of velocity, agility, and trajectory unpredictability. Developed by the IRGC Aerospace Force, the missile utilizes a two-stage solid-propellant system and carries a maneuverable re-entry vehicle (MaRV) capable of independent flight and in-flight course correction.

Publicly announced in late 2022 and unveiled in June 2023, the Fattah‑1 marked a major milestone in Iranian missile technology. Unlike conventional ballistic missiles that follow a predictable arc, Fattah‑1 is designed to maneuver actively in both midcourse and terminal phases, maintaining speeds above Mach 5 throughout its flight—qualifying it as a true hypersonic missile. This capability dramatically increases its survivability against modern missile defense systems such as Israel’s Arrow and Iron Dome.

The missile separates its warhead at approximately 300 km altitude. The warhead, fitted with a thrust vector control system and solid rocket sustainer, continues on a non-ballistic, depressed trajectory. It can make multiple path corrections and perform evasive maneuvers up to 100 km before impact, allowing precision targeting and last-minute course adjustments.

What distinguishes Fattah from other fast ballistic missiles like the Khorramshahr is its sustained maneuvering at hypersonic speeds, particularly during the terminal phase. This maneuvering, combined with engine sustainment for about 50 seconds post-boost, ensures the MaRV maintains both speed and agility on final approach.

Tactically, Fattah‑1 is designed for use in high-value precision strikes against hardened or well-defended targets. Its mission profile includes the suppression of enemy missile defenses, decapitation strikes on command-and-control facilities, and disruption of airbases or logistical hubs.

Fattah-1 hypersonic missile variants:

- Fattah‑1: Baseline model featuring a maneuverable hypersonic MaRV with integrated TVC and post-boost sustainer.
- Fattah‑2: Advanced variant unveiled in November 2023, incorporating a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) to extend maneuverability and survivability across the entire flight path.

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Technical Data

Launcher System

The Fattah-1 hypersonic missile is launched from a road-mobile transporter-erector-launcher (TEL), mounted on a heavy-duty truck chassis. The TEL provides both strategic mobility and tactical flexibility, enabling rapid redeployment and launch from concealed or dispersed positions to complicate enemy counterstrikes.
Missile

The Fattah‑1 hypersonic missile is composed of a two-stage, solid-fueled body. It measures approximately 11.5 meters in length and 80 cm in diameter. The missile includes a 3.6-meter-long warhead section with thrust vector control for midcourse and terminal maneuverability. This warhead weighs roughly 1,000 kg and contains up to 500 kg of high-explosive payload. Designed for survivability and penetration, the MaRV employs a depressed trajectory to reduce radar detection and interception opportunities.
Engine

The Fattah-1 hypersonic missile uses solid composite fuel in both the booster and post-boost stages. The first stage launches the missile to high altitude (~300 km), after which the MaRV separates and ignites its sustainer motor, based on the Arash‑24 design. This engine burns for up to 50 seconds, allowing the warhead to maintain hypersonic speed throughout its glide and impact phases. The missile reaches Mach 13+ in midcourse and sustains speeds above Mach 5 at terminal impact. Its low observable profile and agile flight path make it extremely difficult to track and engage.
Guidance Systems

The Fattah‑1 hypersonic missile is guided using a hybrid system that integrates inertial navigation (INS) with GNSS inputs (such as GPS or GLONASS). The warhead features onboard control surfaces and actuators linked to its thrust vector control system, enabling in-flight trajectory correction and precision terminal guidance. Estimated accuracy is within 10 to 25 meters CEP.
Combat Use

From a tactical standpoint, the Fattah‑1 hypersonic missile is designed for high-precision, long-range strikes against critical military and infrastructure targets that are protected by layered missile defense systems. Its primary mission is to serve as a counter-A2/AD (Anti-Access/Area Denial) weapon by penetrating enemy airspace and targeting assets that are typically out of reach or heavily defended, such as airbases, command-and-control nodes, missile defense batteries, and hardened bunkers.

The missile's maneuverable re-entry vehicle (MaRV), coupled with sustained hypersonic speeds exceeding Mach 5 in the terminal phase, enables deep-strike capabilities with minimal warning and limited interception risk. Fattah‑1 can be tactically employed for decapitation strikes, disruption of enemy early-warning systems, or preemptive neutralization of high-value military targets during escalation phases.

Additionally, due to its high speed and terminal agility, Fattah‑1 is suitable for time-sensitive targeting, particularly in environments where traditional cruise or ballistic missiles may be ineffective due to interception vulnerability or insufficient response time. It also serves a deterrent and retaliatory role, increasing the cost of preemptive attacks against Iranian strategic interests by ensuring a survivable and effective second-strike option.

The Fattah‑1 is tailored for missions that demand survivability against missile defenses, rapid target engagement across regional distances (~1,400 km), and precision lethality—all while minimizing exposure and enhancing strike reliability.