Hellfire R9X: Missile that killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri

tech.hindustantimes.com:

The Hellfire R9X missile, an anti-tank weapon used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the recent killing of Al Qaeda chief and key plotter of the 9/11 terrorist attack, Ayman al Zawahiri has been used to kill a few high profile terrorists before being used to eliminate Zawahiri on July 31 in Afghanistan, a media report said.

Hellfire R9X missile is basically a modified version of the renowned Hellfire missile which was an anti-tank weapon developed in the 1980s and was later modified numerous times, especially after the 9/11 attacks, to target individuals.

The missile is designed in a way that it can shove more than 100 pounds of metal in order to kill its target, be it a car or building.

The most lethal aspect of the R9X is the halo of six long blades which are packed inside that deploy through the skin of the missile moments before impact to ensure that it shreds anything in its tracks.

As per several media reports, the reason behind the development of the Hellfire R9X missile was to minimize civilian deaths and it came into existence when former president Barack Obama was in office. Notably, the weapon was also developed to eliminate doubts regarding the structural stoutness of a building such as mud and thatch huts which terrorists usually use as a hideout.

Before turning Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri into ashes, the Hellfire R9X missile has been used in other operations as well. In January 2019, the weapon was used to kill Jamal al-Badawi whereas Ahmad Hasan Abu Khayr al-Masri was killed in February 2017.

Al-Badawi was in Yemen when the Pentagon used the R9X missile to kill him and he was a part of the team led by Ayman al-Zawahiri that was behind the bombing of the USS Cole, media reports said.