One of the most notable phenomena in the “With All Its Might” war is the extent of the damage caused by Iranian missiles, both in terms of casualties and property. According to the latest data, direct and indirect missile strikes claimed the lives of 29 people. Over 10,000 people were evacuated across the country, damage was caused to 980 structures, and more than 40,000 compensation claims for damages were submitted. The economic damage to buildings alone is estimated at over one billion shekels.
In this war, the Iranians used a variety of hypersonic ballistic missiles. These are missiles that travel outside the atmosphere at speeds of up to 12 times the speed of sound—over 14,000 km/h. Some of these missiles, such as the Kheibar Shekan, Haj Qassem, and Fattah-1, are two-stage missiles with a maneuverable warhead weighing an estimated 400–1,000 kilograms. The missile body itself, after engine separation, weighs several dozen tons.
As the missile reenters the atmosphere, its speed decreases due to atmospheric friction. Nonetheless, it still travels at thousands of kilometers per hour. The weight of the missile’s second stage and warhead, combined with the high velocity, gives the impacting body enormous kinetic energy. This energy, in addition to the energy released by the warhead explosion, is transferred to the surroundings as heat reaching thousands of degrees Celsius in a very short time. Part of it is also transferred as kinetic energy to air molecules. This results in extremely high pressure and temperature gradients at the impact site compared to the surrounding area in a short time, leading to violent airflows. In other words, a shockwave is created that travels at supersonic speed to equilibrate with atmospheric pressure. This shockwave causes damage across a wide radius around the impact site, in addition to the destruction caused by the explosive charge itself.
One must also consider the missile’s angle of impact: when dealing with a maneuverable warhead, the impact angle can be sharp, causing the shockwaves to spread in an elliptical symmetry—mainly in the direction of the missile’s trajectory—which increases the potential damage.
The issue of building resilience to blast waves requires a renewed engineering approach in structural defense planning. It also necessitates upgrades to interception systems, particularly to neutralize fast and maneuverable enemy missiles in their early phases—ideally during the boost phase—to prevent or mitigate potential damage.
One of the most notable phenomena in the “With All Its Might” war is the extent of the damage caused by Iranian missiles, both in terms of casualties and property. According to the latest data, direct and indirect missile strikes claimed the lives of 29 people. Over 10,000 people were evacuated across the country, damage was caused to 980 structures, and more than 40,000 compensation claims for damages were submitted. The economic damage to buildings alone is estimated at over one billion shekels.
In this war, the Iranians used a variety of hypersonic ballistic missiles. These are missiles that travel outside the atmosphere at speeds of up to 12 times the speed of sound—over 14,000 km/h. Some of these missiles, such as the Kheibar Shekan, Haj Qassem, and Fattah-1, are two-stage missiles with a maneuverable warhead weighing an estimated 400–1,000 kilograms. The missile body itself, after engine separation, weighs several dozen tons.
As the missile reenters the atmosphere, its speed decreases due to atmospheric friction. Nonetheless, it still travels at thousands of kilometers per hour. The weight of the missile’s second stage and warhead, combined with the high velocity, gives the impacting body enormous kinetic energy. This energy, in addition to the energy released by the warhead explosion, is transferred to the surroundings as heat reaching thousands of degrees Celsius in a very short time. Part of it is also transferred as kinetic energy to air molecules. This results in extremely high pressure and temperature gradients at the impact site compared to the surrounding area in a short time, leading to violent airflows. In other words, a shockwave is created that travels at supersonic speed to equilibrate with atmospheric pressure. This shockwave causes damage across a wide radius around the impact site, in addition to the destruction caused by the explosive charge itself.
One must also consider the missile’s angle of impact: when dealing with a maneuverable warhead, the impact angle can be sharp, causing the shockwaves to spread in an elliptical symmetry—mainly in the direction of the missile’s trajectory—which increases the potential damage.
The issue of building resilience to blast waves requires a renewed engineering approach in structural defense planning. It also necessitates upgrades to interception systems, particularly to neutralize fast and maneuverable enemy missiles in their early phases—ideally during the boost phase—to prevent or mitigate potential damage.