Pentagon’s ‘Ninja bomb’ kills targets without exploding
The CIA and Pentagon have built new weapon labelled the ‘ninja bomb’ which kills its target with steel blades rather than explosives.
The secret R9X missile is designed to destroy individual terrorist targets without injuring nearby civilians. It’s so accurate that it could potentially kill a car’s front seat passenger without harming the driver.
It’s been used only a few times by US forces, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The weapon is believed to have been deployed against targets in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen and Somalia.
The roof of the car in which al Qaeda chief Ahmad Hasan Abu Khayr al-Masri was killed two years ago. Twitter
The victims include the deputy leader of al Qaeda in Egypt - Ahmad Hasan Abu Khayr al-Masri. He was killed in Syria by an R9X fired from a CIA drone in 2017.
Another victim was Jamal al-Badawi, the accused mastermind behind the deadly bombing in 2000 of the USS Cole.
The highly secretive R9X came to light when analysts scrutinised the unusual aftermath of one counter terrorism attack.
Photos of Masri’s vehicle after he was killed revealed a long thin hole torn into the roof and a partially cracked windscreen. The absence of burn marks suggested there was no explosion.
The R9X missile can be launched from a drone and is based on current technology. Supplied
Officials said the R9X, nicknamed ‘the flying Ginsu’ after a brand of US household knives, was designed to breach 45 kilograms of metal through car and building roofs.
Moments before impact the weapon deploys a deadly ring of six long blades, shredding anything in its path.
Development of the R9X started in 2011 under then US president Barrack Obama who was concerned about reducing civilian casualties from American drone strikes.
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