Iran “Hits” The U.S. Where It Hurts The Most, A Critical Military Tech Where Superpower U.S. Trails Tehran: OPED

The US is the leading military force in the world. In the recent 12-day war between Iran and Israel, the technological superiority of the US was on display once again when 7 B-2 Spirit stealth bombers flew from the US, bombed Iranian nuclear sites with the world’s deepest penetrating bunker buster bombs, the GBU-57 MOP, and returned to the US undetected.

The message was clear: US bombers can fly in, as and when they like, devastate even the most deeply buried bunkers or military facilities, and return unharmed.

That Israel, despite its advanced military tech and enviable intelligence network on the ground inside Iran, had to depend critically on the US for both the B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, as well as the GBU-57 MOP bombs loaded onto them, was a testament to the clear US military technological edge even among the Western countries.

However, 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?

What Are Hypersonic Weapons?

Hypersonic speed is considered anything faster than Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, equivalent to approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) per minute, or about a mile every second.

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 goes up and then comes down 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.

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.

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.

“Most of the missiles Iran has deployed against Israel travel at hypersonic speed, but are barely maneuverable, so are not considered true hypersonic missiles,” said Yehoshua Kalisky, a senior researcher at the Israeli think tank INSS and a former scientist in Israeli defense industries.

However, even Kalisky accepts that Iran’s Fattah-2 and Khorramshahr missiles may fall in the category of hypersonic missiles. 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.

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.