The Hellfire R9X aka “ninja bomb” that was used to kill Al-Qaeda’s leader, it doesn’t explode (no warhead). Instead slices and cuts its target into pieces to minimize collateral damage.
This missile has become the US weapon of choice for killing leaders of extremist groups while avoiding civilian casualties.
The missile is fired from a Predator drone. It has no warhead, but deploys six blades which fly in at high speed, crush and slice the targeted person.
This is the reason why it’s called the “flying ginsu”, after the 1980 TV commercial for Japanese kitchen knives that would cut cleanly through aluminum cans and remain perfectly sharp.
Pentagon and CIA – the two agencies which undertake targeted assassinations – have never acknowledged the use of the Hellfire R9X missile.
Some pictures posted online show the impact of these missiles. One of these old photos on Twitter claims to show a car destroyed by Hellfire R9X in Idlib, Syria.
