Iran claims to have produced key engine for supersonic missile tech

Iran's defense minister said his country has developed "ramjet" engines, the key component to supersonic cruise missiles.  

Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Ashtiani told a crowd of worshippers in Tehran on Friday that the Iranian Defense Ministry is now capable of mass producing the engine, which can boost a cruise missile's speed to five times the sound of speed.  

The development, according to the Iranian general, was accomplished using domestic capabilities and came less than a fortnight after the Islamic Republic said it had acquired the know-how to produce supersonic missiles, introducing its first homemade version, dubbed "Fattah."