Can Iran’s ‘ghost missile’ dodge Israel’s air defences? Here’s how its invisibility works
Iran has unveiled the 'Fattah', a hypersonic ballistic missile that they claim is hard to detect by enemy radars. Iran’s Fattah hypersonic missile challenges air defences with speeds up to Mach 15 and mid-flight manoeuvrability.
The ‘Fattah’ hypersonic threat Travelling at 15 times the speed of sound
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) unveiled the Fattah missile, claiming it reaches speeds of Mach 13 to Mach 15. This immense velocity allows it to cover the 1,400-kilometre distance to potential targets in under seven minutes, leaving defenders little time to react.
Why it is called a ‘ghost’ It doesn't follow a fixed path
Unlike standard ballistic missiles that fly in a predictable arch, the Fattah is equipped with a movable nozzle that allows it to change trajectory. This erratic flight path prevents radar systems from calculating a precise interception point, effectively making it 'invisible' to prediction algorithms.
Flying below the radar
The missile is designed to fly at lower altitudes within the atmosphere compared to traditional ICBMs. This allows it to hide behind the curvature of the Earth for longer, delaying detection by ground-based radars until it is too close to stop.
Stealth effect
At hypersonic speeds, the friction between the missile and the air creates a cloud of superheated plasma around the weapon. Scientifically, this plasma sheath can absorb radio waves, potentially making the missile difficult for certain radar frequencies to track clearly.
Outmanoeuvring the interceptor
Israel’s Arrow-3 defence system is designed to shoot down missiles in space (exo-atmospheric). Since the Fattah can manoeuvre inside the atmosphere and change course during its final dive, it aims to bypass these high-altitude interceptors entirely.
Fattah-2’s glide capability
Iran has also showcased the 'Fattah-2', which features a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) warhead. This component detaches and glides to its target at lower altitudes, performing sharp turns that make it extremely difficult for systems like David's Sling to lock onto.
Is it truly unstoppable?
While Tehran claims the missile is "uninterceptable", Western military analysts note that it can still be tracked by infrared sensors due to their immense heat.
Israel is actively developing the 'Sky Sonic' interceptor specifically to counter this manoeuvrable threat.
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