The US government killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike. The missile used by the CIA, America’s largest spy organization to attack, is named R9X Hellfire Missile. The specialty of this missile is that less gunpowder but more blades and sharp metals are used in it. These blades, after the explosion, rip the target by rotating like a wheel.
The R9X Hellfire missile can be fired from drones, helicopters, and fighter jets. Cameras and sensors are installed on its nose. In the last two years, the US has rapidly increased the use of these missiles. For example, the US used these missiles to avenge last year’s Kabul airport blast.
The amount of ammo used in hellfire missiles is significantly less. It has sharp-edged metal blades, which are applied in different layers. The blast of gunpowder only gives them the strength to move forward. When it bursts a set of six blades comes out. Any person who comes in front of them is cut into many pieces. It only damages the target which is targeted. The damage around is less.
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There are many variants of the Hellfire missile. One of them is the R9X variant. This variant weighs 45 kg. This missile is also called Ninja Bomb and Flying Ginsu. Ninja because ninja martial artists mostly use sharp weapons. Flying Ginsu means flying knife. Collateral damage from this missile means that there is not much damage around. This missile is fired to kill one or two humans.
The US mysteriously started using the R9X Hellfire missile in 2017. But its information came to the world in 2019. Using this missile, the US killed Jamal Aham Mohammed al-Badavi, the main accused in the USS Cole bombing in 2000, and Abu Khar al-Masri, a key al-Qaeda terrorist. This missile has also been used against the Taliban in Syria and Afghanistan.
According to the US, the R9X Hellfire missile was used twice in 2020. First, to kill the commanders of Al Qaeda in Syria. At the same time, it was used six times during the war in September 2020. The unique thing about this missile is that it can be launched from 8 types of helicopters present in America. It can also be launched from 7 different types of aircraft, petrol boats or Humvee. That is, it can be fired from anywhere.
The R9X Hellfire missile works on fire and forgets technology. It is also set in the drone and fires it like last Saturday in Afghanistan. The most prominent feature of this missile is that it can detonate by breaking the most robust bunkers, armored vehicles, tanks, and thick concrete walls. Usually, the weight of its variants is 45 to 49 kg.
The Hellfire missile variant has a maximum length of 64 inches, i.e., 1.6 meters. Their diameter is 7 inches. Five types of warheads can be installed in this missile. Anti-Tank High Explosive, Shaped Charge, Tandem Anti-Terror, Metal Augmented Charge (R9X), and Blast Fragmentation. Its wingspan is 13 inches.
The range of this missile ranges from 499 meters to 11.01 kilometers. The range depends on the variant of this missile. The maximum speed of this missile is 1601 kilometers per hour. It flies on laser and radar seeker technology. You can target the target by operating it both ways through the laser through the radar.
India is preparing to buy America Reaper drones and Hellfire missiles and deploy them in its forces. Its planning has been in the making for a long time. India is preparing to buy the MQ-9 Reaper drone and the Hellfire missile from the US. The Reaper drone keeps flying in the sky, monitoring very calmly. Hellfire missiles fitted in it can destroy any enemy target.