Was the missile fired from Yemen against Israel hypersonic? Does it pose a new challenge?

By Yehoshua Kalisky.

The missile launched by the Houthi rebels, last Sunday, was a ballistic missile similar to those used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard in Iran and well known to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

This missile came from the east, traveled 2.040 km and, according to the IDF spokesperson, the flight time from launch to impact was about 11,5 minutes.

According to these data, the missile traveled at a speed of 9,7 times the speed of sound (Mach 9,7).

Hypersonic speed is defined as 5 times the speed of sound (Mach 5).

The Houthi-launched missile followed a fixed ballistic trajectory and was detected by air defense systems, which tracked it during interception attempts by the IDF's various layers of defense.

To give a clear explanation and avoid unnecessary panic, it should be noted that every long-range ballistic missile is a two- or three-stage missile, accelerated by a high-power rocket motor to reach a ballistic trajectory.

Once the engine is cut off, the missile body and warhead travel at an average speed of 6 to 8 times the speed of sound (Mach 6 to Mach 8), but still along a predetermined trajectory.

As it descends towards the target, its speed accelerates due to gravity and can reach values ​​of Mach 15 to Mach 20, a situation that the FDI they know and know how to handle.

The challenge for Israel and the free world is to intercept a hypersonic cruise missile, since these missiles can maneuver and evade various defense systems.

As mentioned, the data made public indicate that the missile launched by the Houthis is known to the establishment defense and certainly not a hypersonic cruise missile.

In addition, the missile appears to have malfunctioned and failed to meet expected performance standards.

It must be assumed that a structural failure of the missile body contributed to the impossibility of intercepting it.

However, the incident should be thoroughly investigated by the defence authorities, as it was expected that a ballistic missile launched from such a long distance would be intercepted long before reaching the territory of the State of Israel.

Source: INSS – The Institute for National Security Studies