Israel-Iran War: How powerful is Fattah-1, Iran's homegrown hypersonic missile fired at Israel?

Tensions between Iran and Israel have captured the world's attention and recently, Iran used its Fattah-1 hypersonic missile to attack Israel—a weapon it first used in 2024. This missile is renowned for its speed, precision targeting and indigenous technology.

What is the Fattah-1 missile?

Fattah-1 is Iran's first hypersonic ballistic missile, developed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It was first showcased in 2023, and saw operational use in a 2024 attack on Israel. The missile is designed for ground-to-ground strikes. Thanks to its high speed and evasive capabilities, it can penetrate enemy defense systems.

Key features:

Superspeed: Fattah-1 can reach speeds of approximately 16,000–18,500 kilometers per hour—13 to 15 times the speed of sound. This makes it extremely difficult to track or intercept. The missile can travel from Iran to Israel’s capital, Tel Aviv, in just 400 seconds (about 6–7 minutes).

Range: The missile has a range of up to 1,400 kilometers, enough to target several countries in the Middle East, including Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Precision: Equipped with advanced navigation and guidance systems, Fattah-1 can strike within a 10-meter radius of its target, allowing for highly accurate attacks.

Hypersonic maneuverability: The missile can maneuver both inside and outside the atmosphere (exo-atmospheric). Its unpredictable flight path helps it evade enemy radar and defense systems.

Warhead: Fattah-1 can carry up to 460 kilograms of explosives, making it capable of inflicting significant damage.

Indigenous technology: Iran claims the Fattah-1 is entirely developed with domestic technology. Despite sanctions, Iran has advanced its missile capabilities, though influences from Russian, Chinese, and North Korean technologies are evident.

The Fattah-1 poses a major challenge to Israel’s renowned air defense systems like Iron Dome and Arrow-3. While Iron Dome is effective against short- and medium-range missiles, the hypersonic speed and erratic trajectory of Fattah-1 make interception extremely difficult.

In the 2024 attack, Iran launched seven Fattah-1 missiles, some of which targeted Israel’s Nevatim Airbase. Israel claimed to have intercepted several missiles, but some managed to breach its defense systems.

Iran’s strategy further amplifies the missile’s effectiveness: it first launches drones and conventional missiles to overwhelm systems like Iron Dome, then follows up with hypersonic missiles. This tactic exposes the limitations of Israel’s defense infrastructure.

Despite decades of sanctions, Iran has managed to strengthen its military technology. The development of Fattah-1 demonstrates Iran’s self-reliance in missile and drone technology. Iranian Defense Minister General Aziz Nasirzadeh claims the missile can hit targets accurately even without GPS, and can select among multiple targets.

Some experts believe Iran’s technology may have benefited from Russian, Chinese, and North Korean assistance. Nevertheless, the Fattah-1 marks a new level of military capability for Iran.

On June 14, 2025, Iran launched over 150 ballistic missiles—including the Fattah-1—at Israel under "Operation True Promise 3." This attack caused damage in Tel Aviv and other cities. Iran stated the attack was in retaliation for Israel’s "Operation Rising Lion" and strikes on its nuclear facilities.

Additionally, Iran targeted strategic sites such as Haifa’s oil refinery, affecting Israel’s economy and energy supply. The Fattah-1’s speed and evasive abilities made the attack even more lethal