Israel has introduced the Super Ace, a sixth-generation cruise missile developed by Rafael that features enhanced warhead capacity and difficult radar detectability, prompting an immediate response from Iran as it showcased its own underground missile facilities and weapons advancements.

Israel has introduced the Super Ace, a sixth-generation cruise missile developed by Rafael that features enhanced warhead capacity and difficult radar detectability, prompting an immediate response from Iran as it showcased its own underground missile facilities and weapons advancements.

Israel has introduced the Super Ace, a sixth-generation cruise missile developed by Rafael that features enhanced warhead capacity and difficult radar detectability, prompting an immediate response from Iran as it showcased its own underground missile facilities and weapons advancements.

Amid threats of a renewed war with Iran, Israel has a new surprise in store for its adversary: a new cruise missile called "Super Ace," a sixth-generation cruise missile that is "difficult to detect and intercept" and can carry a warhead weighing over 453 kg. The new missile, the newest member of the "Ice Breaker" family, comes from Israeli defence industry company Rafael, the maker of air defence systems such as Iron Dome and David's Sling and the Spike missiles.

In 2021, Rafael unveiled its fifth generation of cruise missiles, the Sea Breaker and the Ice Breaker. These are advanced missiles with an official range of about 300 km. They fly at a very low altitude below radar, thanks to navigation based on images of waypoints along the route, which makes them very difficult to locate and destroy.

As for Super Ace, the sixth-generation cruise missile, the structure looks less stealthy and more angular. However, Rafael claims it is still very difficult to detect and intercept, and increasing its dimensions has made it possible to increase the weight of the warhead fourfold to 453 kg. The Super Ace also has an improved speed—still subsonic, but closer to the speed of sound (about 1,000 km/h at sea level).

Though the company did not reveal the identities of the customers who ordered the new missile, nor did it say whether it is ready for operational use or whether it has actually entered service in the Israeli army, the reaction from Iran was instant. Iranian state television aired footage of Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi’s visit to a strategic missile facility belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The footage was also a retort to U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that Iran was "effectively finished militarily."

Abdollahi toured the underground complex, which state-run news agencies described as a new "missile city." State television reported the unveiling of new weapons, including a "surprise" missile, without disclosing its name, range, or specifications. Iranian media revealed neither the facility’s location nor the date of the visit. Iran had also shown footage of ballistic missiles inside tunnels, warheads, mobile launchers, and storage facilities for missiles and drones.

According to reports, Iran is managing to maintain a production rate of 50 ballistic missiles per month, while it is known to possess an additional 1,700 ballistic missiles.

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