US Military Increasingly Using Drone Missiles With Flying Blades Against Targets In Syria

The Guardian: US military increasingly using drone missile with flying blades in Syria

‘Ninja bomb’, which uses 100lb of dense material and six attached blades, has been deployed in targeted assassinations

The US military is making increasing use in Syria of a gruesome and secretive non-explosive drone missile that deploys flying blades to kill its targets.

Described as less likely to kill non-combatants, the so-called ninja bomb – whose development was first disclosed last year – has been used a number of times in the last year to kill militants in Syria, including those linked to aal-Qaida, most recently earlier this month.

Officially designated as the Hellfire AGM-114R9X – usually shortened to R9X and sometimes know as the “Flying Ginsu” – the weapon has been increasingly deployed in targeted assassinations by the US Joint Special Operations Command.

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WNU Editor: It looks like this missile is very effective.

Videos Emerge On Social Media Showig Fragments Of R9X Hellfire 'Ninja' Missiles Used In Syria

Warzone/The Drive: This Is Our Best Look Yet At The Shadowy Hellfire Missile With Pop-Out Sword Blades

These missiles keep taking out terrorist leaders overseas by ripping through their vehicles and mortally slicing them up.

Video has emerged online that shows the remains of three AGM-114R9X missiles used in a recent strike on Al Qaeda-linked terrorists in Syria, providing the best look yet at the innards of this mysterious version of the venerable Hellfire, which has six pop-out sword-like blades in lieu of a traditional explosive warhead. The War Zone was one of the first to report on a previous photograph that gave us our very first look at the inner workings of this weapon. Visible markings, which include the R9X designation, seen in the new video also offer additional details.

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Update: Photos show devastation unleashed on terror leaders by sword-carrying ‘Ninja bomb’ (Military.com)

WNU Editor: There are reports that this missile was used again in Syria on Saturday .... Was the US secretive 'ninja' missile used again in Syria Saturday? (Jerusalem Post).

A New And Better Missile To Replace The Hellfire Missile

Hellfire missiles on the rails of a US Marine Corps AH-1W Super Cobra. Wikimedia Commons

Business Insider: The Army is testing a replacement for the Hellfire missile — and pilots like what they see

* The Army and Navy are testing a missile to replace the vaunted Hellfire.
* Pilots trying out the missile have spoken highly of its capabilities.
* More testing is slated before the missile is deployed for combat operations.

US Army aviators have been putting the new Joint Air-to-Ground Missile through its paces, as the program works its way to its next milestone, a low-rate initial production decision.

The JAGM is meant to provide precision standoff-strike capability to target high-value fixed and moving targets, both armored and unarmored, even in poor weather conditions. It will replace several air-launched missiles, including the AGM-114 Hellfire, which has seen extensive use in the campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

The versatility and simplicity of the new missile won high marks from pilots testing it.

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WNU Editor: All the tests have been successful so far. 48 more tests are planned in 2019.

US Hellfire Missile Mistakenly Shipped to Cuba

Hellfire hung on a Predator drone. Wikimedia

Washington Times: Missing U.S. Hellfire missile located in Cuba

One of the most advanced U.S. missiles was unintentionally shipped to Cuba in 2014, according to a report Thursday evening in the Wall Street Journal.

The Hellfire missile was supposed to be sent to Europe for a training mission, the Journal reported, cited “people familiar with the matter.”

Shipping such a sophisticated weapon to a communist dictatorship with which the U.S. at the time didn’t have diplomatic relations and has been under U.S. embargo for a half-century would be among the worst mistakes of its kind in U.S. military history, the sources said.

The Hellfire is an air-to-surface missile that acquired its name from the Pentagon’s specification for a “helicopter-launched, fire and forget” missile. It equips, among other weapons platforms, the U.S. military’s Predator drones.

WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction .... that missile has been disassembled and reversed engineer as soon as the Cubans got their hands on it. There has to be far more to this story than what they are telling us.

More News On A US Hellfire Missile Being Mistakenly Shipped to Cuba

Missing U.S. Missile Shows Up in Cuba -- WSJ
Inert U.S. Hellfire missile wrongly shipped to Cuba in 2014: WSJ -- Reuters
Dummy Hellfire Missile Mistakenly Shipped to Cuba -- AP
US Hellfire missile wrongly shipped to Cuba -- BBC
Missing U.S. Hellfire missile located in Cuba -- Washington Times
Authorities Lose Track of US Hellfire Missile, Wrongly Ship Weapon to Cuba -- Sputnik
Hellfire Missile: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know -- Heavy

Pentagon To Cancel The U.S. Navy's Hellfire And Tomahawk Missile Programs (Updated)

The guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) successfully launches its second Tomahawk missile during weapons testing. Sterett is underway off the coast of Southern California conducting Tomahawk missile testing in preparation for an upcoming deployment. (US Navy photo)

Obama To Kill Navy’s Tomahawk, Hellfire Missile Programs In Budget Decimation -- Washington Times/Washington Free Beacon

President Barack Obama is seeking to abolish two highly successful missile programs that experts say have helped the U.S. Navy maintain military superiority for the past several decades.

The Tomahawk missile program—known as “the world’s most advanced cruise missile”—is set to be cut by $128 million under Obama’s fiscal year 2015 budget proposal and completely eliminated by fiscal year 2016, according to budget documents released by the Navy.

In addition to the monetary cuts to the program, the number of actual Tomahawk missiles acquired by the United States would drop significantly—from 196 last year to just 100 in 2015. The number will then drop to zero in 2016.

The Navy will also be forced to cancel its acquisition of the well-regarded and highly effective Hellfire missiles in 2015, according to Obama’s proposal.

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More News On The Pentagon Canceling The U.S. Navy's Hellfire And Tomahawk Missile Programs (Updated)

The Military Wants To Phase Out Tomahawk And Hellfire Missile Programs -- Business Insider
Obama to Cut Tomahawk Missiles 10 Years Before Replacement Ready -- Newsmax
Obama Moves to Kill Tomahawk, Hellfire Missiles -- PJ Media
Obama seeks to weaken Navy, kill Tomahawk, Hellfire missiles -- Examiner
Tomahawk missile chopped -- Legal Insurrection
Obama to Kill Tomahawk, Hellfire Missile Programs - Cornerstone Of U.S. Naval Power -- FOX News
Administration to cancel Hellfire and Tomahawk missile programs -- Lee DeCovnick, American Thinker

My Comment: I am surprised that the major defense/military websites are not covering this story. Why .... I do not know.