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 Hellfire Messer Rakete infographic
Grafik zeigt die Hellfire R9X "Messer" Rakete.
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MILITÄR

Die Rakete, die Zawahiri getötet hat

By Duncan Mil

August 4, 2022 - Die Raketen, die den Al-Kaida Führer Ayman al-Zawahiri – während er auf einem Balkon in der afghanischen Hauptstadt Kabul stand – getötet haben, verursachten minimalen Kollateralschaden, mutmaßlich waren es Varianten der Hellfire R9X.

The CIA used a missile shrouded in secrecy to kill Al-Qaeda’s leader, produced explicitly to kill individuals. The missile’s development, which reportedly began under former U.S. President Barack Obama, was aimed to avoid civilian casualties during U.S. campaigns in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia and Yemen.

The AGM-114 R9X -- known as the Hellfire R9X -- is a modified version of the well-known Hellfire air-to-ground, anti-armour missile, but without an explosive warhead. Itmissile can plunge through the tops of vehicles or buildings to kill targets without harming others.

Just before impact, six sharp blades shoot out from the sides of the spinning missile, hitting and shredding its unfortunate target like a huge razor.

Nicknamed a targeted “knife bomb,” the “ninja” bomb or the “flying Ginsu,” the R9X has only been used a dozen times in the past four years. Many of these took place in Syria, and now the R9X missile has been used in Afghanistan.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 04/08/2022; STORY: Graphic News
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