U.S. officials discussed the vicious attributes of the R9X — also known as “the flying Ginsu” or “ninja bomb” — a non-explosive munition that was spawned from the widely used Hellfire missile. The R9X, which deploys its six fixed blades in a halo seconds before impact, is believed to have been designed with the intent of eliminating high-value targets while drastically reducing the risk of collateral damage, traits multiple officials believe should have been publicly disclosed years ago to illustrate a willingness to minimize civilian deaths in densely populated urban centers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia or Yemen.
