The US military increasingly uses drone missiles with flying blades in Syria

On Sep 26, 2020

The US military is increasingly using a horrific and secretive non-explosive drone missile in Syria that deploys flying blades to kill its targets.Described as less likely to kill non-combatants, the so-called ninja bomb – the development of which was first revealed last year – has been used several times over the past year to kill militants in Syria, including those linked to aal-Qaida, most recently earlier this month.Officially referred to as Hellfire AGM-114R9X – generally abbreviated as R9X and sometimes known as “Flying Ginsu” – the weapon has been increasingly deployed in assassinations targeted by the US Joint Special Operations Command.

The missile, which was said to have been used for the first time in 2017 to kill al-Qaida al-Qaida leader Abu Khayr al Masri in Idlib province, first gained attention when his existence was revealed by an article in the Wall Street Journal last year. .

The weapon uses a combination of the force of 100 lbs of dense material flying at high speed and six attached blades that deploy before impact to crush and slice its victims.

The video released in June this year, released by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, appeared to show the remains of one of the missiles used in a strike against a vehicle, also in Idlib in Syria that killed a Jordanian and Yemen, both members of Hurras al-Din, a group affiliated with aal-Qaida.

The weapon is believed to have been developed under Barack Obama’s administration at a time when the US policy of targeted drone assassinations has drawn widespread criticism for the number of civilian casualties caused by the strikes.

Since its deployment, it has been used sparingly, apparently most often in Syria.

According to the New York Times, the most recent use of the missile was on September 14, when it was allegedly used to kill Sayyaf al-Tunsi, a Tunisian.

Observers have speculated that the increasing use of the weapon in Syria – which has increasingly targeted the leaders of al-Qaida affiliates – has been driven by the complexity of operations in Syria where states- United are required to work around a broad Russian commitment.

The non-explosive bladed version of the Hellfire missile is the latest iteration of a weapon that has undergone several variations since it was used to arm previously unarmed Predator drones circa 2000.The first Hellfires were designed as tank destroyers with a powerful shaped charge, used in Afghanistan for which they were not considered quite suitable.A later version was developed which carried a heavier explosive warhead, but which in turn led to issues with civilian casualties, leading to the development of the R9X.

Until May of last year, it is believed that the weapon had not been used more than half a dozen times. But since then it seems to have been used more and more.

The new missile appears designed for use in circumstances where a more conventional explosive missile might not be considered for fear of killing non-combatants.

While acknowledging that the weapon seemed less dangerous to civilians, Iain Overton of Action on Armed Violence cautioned against the impression that it was a “more humanitarian weapon”.

“This weapon, although it is only used very few times, appears to have less far-reaching effects than other explosive weapons dropped from the air.

“However, the vast majority of America’s explosive arsenal too often causes terrible collateral damage. Since the Trump administration also authorized the use of the largest non-nuclear explosion in world history in Afghanistan, it is important to beware of the public relations lens that the US military now uses. “humanitarian” weapons.

Overton also pointed out the problems with a targeted assassination campaign – using any weapon – that had little control.

“This new weapon, designed as an alternative to larger bombs, could be sold as almost ethical, but if it circumvents due process and is as susceptible to poor targeting as other strikes, it is nothing more than ‘a wielded assassin blade. by a state rarely held to account for its actions. “

Source: The US military increasingly uses drone missiles with flying blades in Syria | World news | FR24 News English

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