The Hellfire missile used to kill the ISIS planner in Afghanistan, in retaliation for the bombing attack at the Kabul airport, wasn’t the standard deployed by a drone, the Wall Street Journal reports. Instead of being equipped with an explosive charge, the missile extends six large metal blades that shredded the car in which the target rode.
The Hellfire R9X, nicknamed The Flying Ginsu, is a kinetic weapon that has six blades made of dense metal, nearly doubling the weight of the typically-100 pound Hellfire. It’s weight and speed are designed to crush or shred the intended target rather than use an explosive. The goal of the weapons system is to precisely target the intended victim and minimize collateral damage.
In the case of Friday’s missile attack in Nangarhar, Rahamunullah, the R9x shredded the car carrying the ISIS leader, killing him and one other person while injuring a third. A local man who witnessed the attack said four people were injured, including a woman.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the weapon has never been officially acknowledged by the Pentagon, but it has been used at least six times since 2017, exclusively in the Middle East and Afghanistan.