Reduces casualties at the scene of the raid
America is using the "Flying Ginsu" missile against the militants in Syria
New high-precision missiles. Archive
The R9X missile, known as the "Flying Ginsu", does not contain an explosive payload, but rather is a kinetic warhead that contains a set of blades that fly moments before collision, eviscerate the target persons, and, ostensibly, reduce civilian casualties. Potential that may accompany a conventional warhead explosion.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported, last week, that a drone strike, possibly belonging to the US-led International Military Coalition, was responsible for the killing of a mercenary trainer while he was traveling in the Syrian province of Idlib.
Abu Yahya, an Uzbek, who is a "military trainer" who recently joined the "Guardians of Religion" organization, which is linked to the "Al Qaeda" organization, did not expect to be targeted with such guided missiles. He was killed by a 100-pound, non-explosive type of missile.
Pictures of the raid’s effects on the Uzbek show a relatively intact car and not a burnt debris, indicating that, as is the case with similar strikes in the area, the notorious "R9X" alternative weapon was used for this purpose.
This guided missile was developed in cooperation between the Ministry of Defense and the CIA, and was technically a secret.
However, the distinctive effects of the missile have become increasingly known since Washington began deploying it in 2017. The weapon is said to be extremely accurate, and the operator can choose between hitting the left or right seat in the vehicle.
Indeed, it appears that the effects on the Uzbek car are identical to those on the car of Qassem al-Urduni and Bilal al-San`ani, two of the leaders of the "Guardians of Religion" organization, who were killed in a similar raid, by a drone, in June this year, in northwestern Syria.
The same pattern also appeared on the car of Abu Ahmed al-Jaziri, a foreign fighter with al-Qaeda, who was killed in a drone raid in December 2019, and the vehicle of Ahmed Hassan Abu Khair al-Masri, a leader in the organization, according to the "Wall Street Journal." The CIA killed him, in February 2017.
While these three strikes, such as the targeting of an Uzbek, took place in the Syrian province of Idlib, weapons were also deployed in Yemen, according to the same newspaper.
Pictures of an airstrike in January 2019 against a suspected Taliban commander in Afghanistan indicate that the missile was used there as well. It is unclear how many R9Xs the Pentagon has in its arsenal, and the US military’s requests, in the 2021 budget, to purchase this type of missile have not been disclosed.
It is unclear how many R9Xs the Pentagon has in its arsenal, and the US military’s requests, in the 2021 budget, to purchase this type of missile have not been disclosed.