Israel hit Iran with a half-ton supersonic 'Rampage' missile, report says

BUSINESS INSIDER: Israel used a long-range, supersonic missile in its strike on Iran last week, Israeli broadcaster Kan reported, per The Times of Israel.

US officials said Israel carried out a missile strike on a military base near the city of Isfahan on Friday.

Israel has not confirmed the reports, while Iran has sought to downplay the incident, only referencing small drones used in the attack, which, in an interview with NBC News, its foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said were "like toys our children play with."

While it remains unclear what weapons were used in the strike, Israel's national broadcaster Kan reported that Israel used a "Rampage" air-to-surface missile, claiming it was identified in photos and that damage caused by the attack was consistent with a Rampage strike, per The Times of Israel.

The Rampage was designed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for use against targets such as "communication and command centers, air forces bases, maintenance centers and infrastructure," according to the company's website.

The company describes the missile, which weighs 1,250 pounds, as "a long-range, air-to-ground, seekerless, precision strike weapon."

Other reports, however, have pointed to another type of missile being used in the attack.

Analyses by the BBC and the Financial Times, based on images of wreckage that landed in Iraq, suggest that the attack involved Israel's Blue Sparrow missile.

The wreckage was likely the missile's booster system that detached mid-journey, Justin Crump, a veteran and risk intelligence CEO, told the BBC.

Israel's Sparrow missile is an air-launched ballistic missile with a range of up to 1,240 miles, per the FT. It is normally used to test Israel's air defenses, per The War Zone.

A person briefed on the situation, who was not named, said that the Pentagon also believes the Blue Sparrow may have been involved, the FT reported.

Two Western officials said that the Israeli strike on Iran, which was launched in response to Iran's attack on Israel last week, was intended to show Tehran that it easily could evade its air-defense systems, The New York Times reported.

A much larger attack was considered, but was scaled back after discussions with President Joe Biden and British and German foreign ministers, the newspaper reported.

This was done to encourage Iran not to respond in kind, but still send a message about Israel's abilities, officials told the outlet.

Business Insider contacted the IDF and the IAI for comment.

It was reported last year that the UK's Royal Air Force was considering buying Rampage missiles to replenish its missile stocks after having donated many of its own Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine.

The Rampage is considered an economical alternative, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars each, compared with the $3 million price tag of each Storm Shadow, according to The National.

The missile has the ability to fly at 1,250 mph with a range of up to 190 miles. It can be fired from an aircraft or as a stand-alone system and uses GPS/INS guidance navigation and anti-jamming capabilities, according to the company, and has a blast fragmentation or general-purpose warhead.

A video shared on the company's YouTube channel simulates a strike by the missile.

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