Iran “Hits” The U.S. Where It Hurts The Most,
A Critical Military Tech Where Superpower U.S. Trails Tehran: OPED
07/26/25
"...there is one critical area where the US is trailing not only its traditional adversaries like Russia and China, but it is also behind novice upstarters like Iran and North Korea."
"And, strange as it may sound, it will be some time before the US, the greatest military power on Earth, will be able to bridge the technological gap in this critical area."
"Yes, we are referring to hypersonic missile technology, an area where the US, despite its two-and-a-half decades of efforts and billions of dollars, is still trailing not one, but multiple countries."
"This Western technological handicap was leveraged by Iran again during the 12-day war, when it reportedly fired not one but multiple hypersonic missiles at Israel."
"Has Iran surpassed the US in hypersonic technology? Or is it just Tehran’s propaganda?"
"And besides its high speed, its flight can be very maneuverable, making it extremely difficult to shoot down."
"Though, like ICBMs, hypersonic glide weapons are launched by rockets high into the atmosphere, unlike the former, whose warhead is primarily powered by gravity once it begins its descent to its target, hypersonics dive back to Earth sooner before flattening out their flight path and then uses internal navigation devices to make course corrections and keep it on target while traveling even up to 12 times the speed of sound."
"An ICBM follows a parabolic trajectory, which means it ascends and then descends in a high arc. In contrast, a hypersonic one orbits the Earth at a lower height and is maneuverable. The ability to change track, target, and speed mid-trajectory makes them tougher to track and defend against."
"There are two primary categories of hypersonic weapons. One is a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) launched from a rocket, which then glides to its target. The other is hypersonic cruise missiles powered by high-speed, air-breathing engines, also known as “scramjets.”
"There are also some advanced types of ballistic missiles, which can fall into the category of hypersonic weapons, provided it can perform some maneuvering in their terminal phase."
"Iran’s Hypersonic Capabilities
Iran has long claimed hypersonic capabilities. However, Iranian claims have been met with skepticism in the West.
(Ezekiel 16:49
“‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.)
"According to Iranian claims, it possesses two hypersonic missiles: the Fattah-1 and the Fattah-2. On June 18, Iran’s state media released footage of Fattah-1 launches, claiming strikes on Tel Aviv.
(Saturday, June 21, 2025
How has Iran managed to pierce through Israel’s air defence systems?
Hypersonic missiles, among other techniques, can trick air defence systems.
06/18/25
"On Tuesday, Iran said it hit a military intelligence centre and a Mossad spy agency operations planning centre, breaching Israel’s advanced missile defence systems – some of the most advanced in the world.")
"However, Israeli and Western sources, including the IDF, deny that true hypersonic missiles were used, stating the missiles were standard ballistic missiles with limited maneuverability."
"Notably, Iran also claimed to have fired the Fattah-2 missile during the war.’
"However, judging by the high number of Iranian missiles that were able to penetrate Israel’s multilayered air defense systems, it does appear that at least some of the Iranian missiles not just reached hypersonic speeds but also achieved limited maneuverability."
"Notably, Iranian missiles hit residential areas in not just Tel Aviv, but also Haifa, Ashdod, Beersheba, and other places."
"For now, experts are debating whether Iranian missiles can be termed true hypersonic missiles. However, it can not be denied that Iran has impressed with its missile firepower.'
(That is why there is currently a pause in hostilities!)
"US: Long Wait For Hypersonic Weapons
Irrespective of Iranian capabilities, what is not debatable is America’s dismal showing in developing hypersonic capabilities."
"It is common knowledge that the United States has actively pursued the development of hypersonic weapons as a part of its conventional prompt global strike program since the early 2000s."
"The Department of Defense (DoD) is developing multiple programs, though none have transitioned to operational service as of June 2025. The programs are primarily in the prototyping and testing phase, with significant investments, but also face challenges in terms of cost, technical maturity, and test failures."
"The US is working on multiple programs simultaneously. Among them are: the Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), the US Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS), and the US Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) program."
"Additionally, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) supports programs such as the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC)."
"However, none of these programs has achieved operational status."
"On the other hand, Russia has three operational hypersonic missiles: the Kinzhal, the Tsirkon, and the Avangard. Earlier this week, Russia also gave the order to start mass production of its fourth hypersonic missile, the Oreshnik.
"Additionally, China is leading in the global race for hypersonic weapons. China possesses the “world’s leading hypersonic arsenal,” with systems like the DF-17 capable of targeting U.S. bases in the Pacific."
Even if the experts are debating the true capabilities of Iran’s claimed hypersonic arsenal, it can not be denied that the US is trailing Russia and China in the field, and perhaps, even Iran.
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