LINK

The U.S. has secretly developed a missile capable of highly precise airstrikes to kill targets without an explosion.

The Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have both used the missile – a modified Hellfire missile dubbed R9X – as a means to take out highly sought targets while minimizing civilian casualties, and safeguarding the missile’s secrecy, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

The missile works in such precision due to its warhead that is designed not to explode, but to drive the missile through cars and buildings and straight into the target without ever injuring nearby persons or property.

Each warhead contains six blades that are designed to deploy in the seconds before impact, which tear through its target and anything immediately surrounding it, such as bodies, buildings, cars and other materials. It leaves little more than an entry hole torn into the roof of a car, unlike exploding missiles that leave burn marks and surrounding damage.

The 5-foot long, 100-pound missile has earned the nicknames “Ninja bomb” and “the flying Ginsu” in reference to popular consumer knives sold in the 1970s and 1980s, which were depicted as capable of slicing through everything from trees to vegetables.

The missile is suspected to have been in development from 2011, “for the express purpose of reducing civilian casualties,” one official said.

Although numerous officials have anonymously confirmed the deployment of the missile to the Wall Street Journal, official remarks on its development and existence haven’t been previously disclosed.

Though precise and effectively deadly, the missile is rarely used.

It is typically reserved for circumstances in which a high-level terrorist leader’s precise location has been obtained and the risk of civilian casualties would be too high if using alternative weapons.

Officials told the Wall Street Journal that the missile has only been used a half-dozen times to target terrorist leaders in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Somalia.

Two of those instances were confirmed to the Wall Street Journal.

One missile deployed by the DOD this past January took out Jamal al-Badawi, one of the masterminds behind the USS Cole bombing in 2000 that left 17 U.S. sailors dead. Previously, the DOD only confirmed the strike, but did not release details on the weapon used.

Another missile in February 2017 deployed by the CIA killed Ahmad Hasan Abu Khayr al-Masri, Al Qaeda’s second in command, in Syria.

Several officials also told the Wall Street Journal that a similar version of the missile was a contingency plan for the raid on al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Some defense officials say the weapon should have been publicly discussed years ago in an effort to send a message to extremist groups. However, military advisers have warned against publicly disclosing the weapon’s existence over concerns that terrorists may guard themselves against exposure to such airstrikes.

Saw something like that at the beginning of "Real Genius".
For some reason was considered morally objectionable.

Soooooo, the Defense Department mounted a food processor on the end of a missile. Got it.

Like a giant mechanical broadhead!

I wonder if it's similar to the depleted uranium penetrator warheads the US has been firing from the Abrams tank since Desert Storm?

Sounds like a modern take on an old idea: kinetic payloads.

The older generation were literally bomb-shaped hunks of concrete with laser guidance systems. They have enough kinetic energy to destroy a target (usually a vehicle or small building) without endangering surrounding civilians with an explosion or excessive shrapnel. They're also cheaper than traditional bombs.

Concrete bombs were most recently used by the US in Iraq and by France in Libya:

https://www.military.com/defen...-libya#ixzz1L1veAXg1

Brilliant Pebbles, Kinetic Kill Vehicles, and Rampage Rocks and Spice Smart Bombs.

This stuff isn't exactly new.

The Mark 0 Mod 0 Chicxulub Impactor is powerful enough to take out the Velociraptor.

Isn't there some thought of a satellite with telephone pole length rods of depleted uranium? They could blow the shit of any underground bunkers, etc, with no explosion, just the kinetic energy? I think it was in a book, but there was some discussion if there was a real version or if we should build one?

quote:

Originally posted by Lord Vaalic:
Isn't there some thought of a satellite with telephone pole length rods of depleted uranium? They could blow the shit of any underground bunkers, etc, with no explosion, just the kinetic energy? I think it was in a book, but there was some discussion if there was a real version or if we should build one?

Yep, only it's Tungsten, not Uranium.

Called "Project Thor", aka "Rods from God".

Theoretically very effective, but realistically prohibitively expensive.

https://www.wearethemighty.com...-of-a-nuclear-weapon

But will it cut a tomato after slicing and dicing through achmed and his Mercedes???

wasn't this already done in Phantasm?




FYI, the DU perpetrator for the M1 tank is ~22 pounds with a muzzle velocity ~5,500 ft/sec. And DU in pyrophoric, which means spontaneously ignites when powdered. So kills kinetically, then burns the rubble.

Secret missile, huh? Thanks, WSJ.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
Soooooo, the Defense Department mounted a food processor on the end of a missile. Got it.

It slices, it dices. But wait, there's more! They should code name it "Bomb-O-Matic" a la Ron Popeil.

‘Merica

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
I wonder if it's similar to the depleted uranium penetrator warheads the US has been firing from the Abrams tank since Desert Storm?

We used to call those lawn darts, if I recall those were DU darts that moved about a mile a second. I don’t know if it’s true but we were told they would punch through tanks and the vacuum created would kill people inside. You don’t need DU to get through most targets though, velocity alone works wonders. In the early 90’s I recovered an AGM 65 that literally went through a tank and it never even detonated. I’ve also seen thousands of 20mm DU rounds that punched through tanks.

wonder if it's made by Waste Kang...

Didn't the aliens have this in Battleship....

quote:

Originally posted by Lord Vaalic:
Isn't there some thought of a satellite with telephone pole length rods of depleted uranium? They could blow the shit of any underground bunkers, etc, with no explosion, just the kinetic energy? I think it was in a book, but there was some discussion if there was a real version or if we should build one?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footfall

Footfall
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle