Bladed Hellfire Missile Seen In Action For The First Time

U.S. Central Command has posted the first video ever showing the secretive AGM-114R9X variant of the Hellfire missile in action. R9X is an exotic weapon that features an array of pop-out sword-like blades rather than a traditional high-explosive warhead. It is used as an extremely low collateral damage weapon that can target not just a vehicle, but a specific occupant inside by slashing through the car at just the right spot. TWZ was the first to identify this new weapon’s unique effects back in 2017. It has since become something of a gruesome fascination in the public domain, getting nicknames like the “Flying Ginsu” and “Ninja Bomb” due to its very unique capabilities.

The caption of the CENTCOM video reads:

CENTCOM Forces Kill the Senior Military Leader of Al-Qaeda Affiliate Hurras al-Din (HaD) in Syria On Feb. 23, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria, targeting and killing Muhammed Yusuf Ziya Talay, the senior military leader of the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda affiliate. The airstrike is part of CENTCOM’s ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond. “As we have said in the past, we will continue to relentlessly pursue these terrorists in order to defend our homeland, and U.S., allied, and partner personnel in the region,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command.

In the video, we see infrared camera footage of the truck moving along the road when the weapon impacts it causing a cruciform glow. No large explosion or fire is seen, just what appear to be sparks from the damaged vehicle slowing down. Then we get airborne color TV camera footage of the vehicle with the R9X’s trademark punched-through hole in its roof over the driver’s position.

(CENTCOM Screenshot)

The vehicle and background align with a targeted killing that was previously reported to have occurred on February 23rd that, at the time, had all the trademarks of an R9X hit, with the usual fragments of the weapon also seen in photos from the aftermath.

Remnants of the R9X seen in a screenshot from a video showing the aftermath of that attack. (Screenshot via X)

The AGM-114R9X was developed in secret and has been used increasingly over the last eight years, including in very high-profile operations, without official acknowledgement of its existence. It is thought to be a weapon of choice for targeted assassinations using MQ-9 Reaper drones operated by the shadowy Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The missile also likely features a unique guidance capability that leverages automation in order to strike so precisely on just one part of a vehicle. The targeting FLIR footage seen in the CENTCOM video does show a locked vehicle (the bracket) and a set of crosshairs right over where the R9X was targeted, which could point to how this targeting process is executed, although it is not definitive at this time.

The fact that the Pentagon released a video showing this weapon in action could indicate that we may finally find out official details about the R9X and its origins.

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