Blue Sparrow Missile Explained: The Weapon That Killed Khamenei
Blue Sparrow, a very advanced missile weapon, is capable of flying up to space before plunging downwards to its target at extremely high speed
The reported killing of Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has become the most discussed event amid the ongoing West Asia conflict. The missile that killed Khamenei came from above, from space. Blue Sparrow, a very advanced missile weapon, is capable of flying up to space before plunging downwards to its target at extremely high speed.
The missile targeted the heavily protected compound in Tehran where Khamenei was reportedly present with his military commanders. The Blue Sparrow missile launched from a F-15 aircraft, struck the compound with extreme precision, reportedly killing Iranian officials and Khamenei’s family members along with him.
The blue sparrow is an Israeli air-launched ballistic missile developed by Rafael Advanced Defence system. The missile has a weight of 2 tons with around 6.5 meters of height, with a targeting range of 2,000 kilometers. The missile was launched through a F-15 jet Aircraft. The missile belongs to the Sparrow missile family, including other missiles such as Black Sparrow and Silver Sparrow variants. Originally these missiles were created for testing, but later turned into offensive war weapons.
The fighter jet releases the missile at high altitude, with the rocket being accelerated towards the edge of the earth’s atmosphere. The missile follows a quasi-ballistic trajectory and then plunges vertically back to the earth at very high speed, making it difficult for air-defence systems to intercept.
Reports say missile debris believed to belong to a Blue Sparrow was found along the attack route in Iraq after the strike.
The killing of Iran’s Supreme leader has led to enormous geo-political escalations in the middle east with several countries in the region going for a high military alert as Iran continues to launch retaliatory missile and drone attacks on U.S. and Israeli bases in the nearby regions.
This article is written by Aditya Kumar Singh, a student of Loyola Academy, Secunderabad, interning with Deccan Chronicle.