How powerful is the Hellfire missile? DEADLY 'ninja' weapon with six blades kills al Qaeda's Ayman al-Zawahiri
Al Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was the most recent victim of the Hellfire Ninja R9X missile. The deadly missile uses pop-out swords rather than an explosive to take down high profile targets, military experts have said. President Joe Biden confirmed that on Saturday, July 30, Al-Zawahiri, who was 71, was killed in a drone strike in the Shirpur neighborhood of the Afghani capital of Kabul.
According to a senior Biden administration official, a drone fired two Hellfire R9X missiles at the terrorist leader when he was at the balcony of his safe house. The assassination of al-Zawahiri was described as a "precise tailored airstrike" by the official. Al-Zawahiri was staying in the home with members of his family. This was the United States' most significant strike against al Qaeda after Osama bin-Laden was killed back in 2011.
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The R9X Hellfire missile
The R9X carries 45 kgs of reinforced metal in its tip with six extendable blades that are meant to shred the target. It is designed in a way that does not trigger a blast that could harm those nearby. The missile has now become one of the weapons that is most favored by the US military.
The missile was developed during Obama's presidency in 2011 following concerns over how several civilians were being killed in drone strike campaigns in the Middle East. Nicknamed the 'ninja' missile, it was made with a combined effort by the CIA and the Department of Defense. The missile is made Lockheed Martin and Northrop Gumman, but it is unclear how many of these the Pentagon have in their possession. This missile is reportedly not mentioned in the 2022 budget requests for missile procurement, the Daily Mail reported.
Weapon CIA used to get al-Zawahiri. Kinetic Hellfire R9X. No warhead explosives, just blades that swing out to kill only one guy. pic.twitter.com/0dwkC40003
— Jay Hancock (@jayhancock1) August 2, 2022
The New York Times reported that the secretive military Joint Special Operations Command has confirmed the use of the R9X twice, in 2019 and 2020. However, it is believed to have been used on about a dozen other occasions on specific targets.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report about the existence of the R9X in 2019, claiming that it was used in attacks on people in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Yemen and Somalia. At the time, an unnamed official source told the publication that the missile was created with the "express purpose of reducing civilian casualties." The missile was said to be similar to a "speedy anvil".
The R9X is believed to have been used to kill two ISIS militants in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan in August 2021. It was also possibly used in the killing of al Qaeda second-in-command Ahmad Hasan Abu Khayr al-Masri in February 2017. In January 2019, it was used to take out Taliban leader Mohabullah in Afghanistan. The same year, it was used on USS Cole bombing suspect Jamel Ahmed Mohammed Ali al-Badawi in Yemen and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Ahmed al-Jaziri. The following year, the missile was used to kill Hurras Al-Din leaders Qassam al-Urduni and Bilal al-Sanaani in Syria.
The R9X brings to mind how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought more weapons to defend his country during Russia's attacks on it. Biden had considered sending US-made Switchblade drones to Ukraine as part of a $1 billion defense package. The small and lightweight 'kamikaze' weapons are effectively remote-controlled bombs, unlike the R9X missile. The smart bombs, designed by US-based defense contractor AeroVironment, are designed to destroy tanks and artillery positions. The Switchblade drones are fired from a tube that can be set up in 10 minutes with little training required. The more powerful of the two versions is the Switchblade 600. As per reports, it weighs 50lbs and can hover over a target for 40 minutes before darting at speeds of 115mph, piercing armors, and destroying tanks.