TEHRAN – Iranian scientists have managed to develop homegrown supersonic cruise missiles and are currently testing them, according to Tasnim News Agency. 

Military analysts believe the new generation of Iranian cruise missiles would be using ramjets to enable them to travel faster than the speed of sound. 

Most Iranian cruise missiles use a rocket takeoff engine and a homegrown turbojet engine to carry out a two-stage launch. The latest cruise missiles employed in Iran’s navy use ramjet engines which means they use significantly less time to prepare. Supersonic missiles use the least amount of time for preparation which would enable Iran to show a more timely reaction to aggression. Ramjets work best at supersonic speeds around Mach 3 and have the capacity to reach the speed of Mach 6.

The handful of countries that have gained the technical knowledge to make supersonic cruise missiles are the U.S., China, India, Russia, and North Korea. 
In June, Iran unveiled Fattah, a hypersonic ballistic missile it said is capable of breaching any defense system in the world.