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The United States is skeptical that Iran had developed a hypersonic ballistic missile, Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokesperson, told reporters on November 17.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency last week quoted Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force, as saying Iran had built a hypersonic ballistic missile. At the time, the commander claimed that the missile can maneuver and penetrate advanced defense systems.
Hypersonic ballistic missiles travel and maneuver at least five times faster than the speed of sound, which make them extremely difficult to track and intercept.
“We’ve seen the reports asserted and coming out of Iran, we remain skeptical of these reports,” Singh told a news conference.
The Israeli intelligence is now reportedly trying to confirm that Iran has successfully developed its own hypersonic ballistic missile.
According to Breaking Defense, the Israeli Defense Forces have begun accelerating efforts to develop measures to counter hypersonic missiles in the last two months.
Sources in the Israeli Ministry of Defense told Breaking Defense that the focus is now primarily on helping the defense industry in Israel to develop better early warning sensors and systems that are designed to intercept long-range missiles, including hypersonic ones.
Iran’s large missile program saw a major boost in the last few years. A number of breakthroughs were made not only in the development of ballistic missiles, but also anti-aircraft missiles, cruise missiles and space launch vehicles.
The development of hypersonic ballistic missiles by Iran could, if confirmed, dramatically shift the balance of power in the Middle East.
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