The Wall Street Journal resource reported on a secret weapon developed in the United States designed to destroy terrorists without harming nearby civilians. According to WSJ sources, the new weapon has already proven its effectiveness in a number of operations in at least five countries.
The R9X missile, also known as the "ninja bomb" and the "flying Ginsu" (Ginsu is a brand of knives), is a modification of the Hellfire missile used by the Pentagon and the CIA for targeted strikes. Instead of explosives, the weapon uses impact force to destroy a target by penetrating the roof of a building or the body of a car. The “work” is completed by six blades that extend outward just before hitting the target.
“For the individual targeted, it is like an anvil falling swiftly from the sky,” writes the WSJ.
Development of the missile reportedly began in 2011 with the goal of reducing civilian casualties in the war against terrorists, especially as extremists routinely used civilians as human shields. In case of using conventional missiles like Hellfire, there is an explosion resulting in the death of innocent people along with the terrorists.
This is why the Hellfire is best suited for taking out vehicles or multiple enemy fighters in close proximity to each other, while the R9X is best used for targeting individual terrorists.
Officials confirmed to the WSJ that the missile has been used in operations in Libya, Iraq, Syria, Somalia and Yemen. For example, the RX9 was used to kill the Yemeni terrorist Jamal al-Badawi, accused of involvement in organizing the terrorist attack on the American destroyer Cole in the port of Aden on October 12, 2000, which killed 17 American sailors.
Source: 3dnews.ru