Mientras que la inteligencia israel\u00ed est\u00e1 tratando de confirmar la reciente declaraci\u00f3n de Ir\u00e1n de que ha desarrollado con \u00e9xito un misil bal\u00edstico hipers\u00f3nico, las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel ya han comenzado a acelerar los esfuerzos para desarrollar medidas para contrarrestar la nueva amenaza potencial.\u00a0Las preocupaciones sobre las armas hipers\u00f3nicas no son nuevas, e Israel comenz\u00f3 a trabajar hace algunos a\u00f1os en el desarrollo del interceptor avanzado Arrow-4, una vez que qued\u00f3 claro que Ir\u00e1n dispone de varios programas para desarrollar m\u00e1s versiones de misiles de largo alcance, incluidos misiles de crucero.<\/p>\n
TEL AVIV \u2014 While Israeli intelligence is trying to confirm Iran\u2019s recent declaration that it has successfully developed a\u00a0hypersonic<\/a>\u00a0ballistic missile, the Israeli Defense Forces have already been anticipating such an announcement \u2014 and in the last two months have begun accelerating efforts to develop measures to counter the potential new threat, sources say.<\/p>\n Concerns about hypersonic weapons are not new, and Israel started work some years ago on developing the advanced\u00a0Arrow-4 interceptor<\/a>, once it became clear that Iran was working to develop more versions of long-range missiles, including cruise missiles. But once Israeli intelligence confirmed that hypersonic missiles were on the wish list for Iran and assessed that Teheran was trying to get relevant technologies, especially from North Korea, a new push began to counter that threat.<\/p>\n Details on these developments are classified, but sources in the defense ministry say the focus is primarily on helping the local defense industry to develop better early warning sensors and systems that are designed to intercept long-range missiles, including hypersonic ones.<\/p>\n The Missile Defense Directorate in the Israeli Ministry of Defense is coordinating the related projects performed by some Israel defense companies. This is funded mostly with special budgets earmarked for the need to address a very critical threat.<\/p>\n While the Iranian military nuclear program gets the most attention of the Israeli intelligence apparatus, in recent months this country\u2019s achievements in developing long-range ballistic missiles and now hypersonic ones have been made a higher priority.<\/p>\n \u201cMany eyes in the skies watch for every little sign that can indicate the level of threats from these two weapon systems\u201d a senior defense source that is connected to the missile defense operation in Israel told Breaking Defense.<\/p>\n A senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)\u00a0announced last week<\/a>\u00a0that Iran has succeeded in developing a hypersonic missile. \u201cThe missile has a great velocity and can maneuver both in and out of the Earth\u2019s atmosphere,\u201d Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the IRGC Aerospace Division chief, told reporters.<\/p>\n \u201cThe new missile can pass through all missile defense systems, and I don\u2019t think that the technology capable of intercepting it will be achieved in the decades to come. It can target the enemy\u2019s anti-missile systems, and its production marks a huge generational leap in the development of a new generation of missiles,\u201d Hajizadeh stated.<\/p>\n Talking to the Tasnim news agency on Nov. 11, Hajizadeh said the hypersonic missile has been tested. He also said the missile will be unveiled in the future.<\/p>\n Hypersonic weapons can fly at more than five times the speed of sound, and are able to travel on complex trajectories that make them difficult to defend against.<\/p>\n An Israeli expert who talked to Breaking Defense on condition of anonymity said that unlike with ballistic missiles, it is impossible to predict the hit point of a hypersonic missile. That, he added, makes the interception of such missiles more complicated, requiring a mix of interceptors, some that Israel has and others under development.<\/p>\n