[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Why Did Obama Order the Development of Ninja Missiles?

MQ-9 Reaper

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The United States deployed the attack drone "MQ-9 Reaper," known as the "Assassin of the Sky," to conduct an airstrike against the Islamic militant group "Islamic State Khorasan" (IS-K). It is reported that the reason no civilian casualties occurred in this airstrike was because a modified Hellfire missile called the "Ninja Missile," the AGM-114R9X (hereafter R9X), was used.

According to foreign media on the 30th, the U.S. attacked a vehicle carrying IS-K members with the attack drone. Only one target, who was riding in the vehicle with one acquaintance, was killed.

The R9X was developed during the Barack Obama administration. Instead of detonating explosives, this missile kills the target by deploying six blades just before impact. This is why it is nicknamed the "Ninja Missile." The Obama administration developed this missile to reduce civilian casualties during counterterrorism airstrikes, as terrorist groups often use women and children as "human shields" to prevent attacks.

The R9X was deployed during the operation to eliminate Osama bin Laden, and in February 2017, the CIA used it to kill Ahmad Hasan Abu al-Kar al-Masri, the second-in-command of al-Qaeda. At that time, the car al-Masri was in was hit by the missile, leaving an oval hole in the roof, but there were no signs of fire damage from an explosion.

Recently, the R9X has been mounted on the MQ-9 Reaper attack drone, making it even more threatening. The MQ-9 Reaper can carry 14 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles or 4 Hellfire missiles along with 2 GBU-12 laser-guided bombs. Its top speed is 482 km/h, and its range reaches 5,926 km.

Equipped fully, the MQ-9 Reaper can stay airborne for 14 hours, and when armed with the R9X missile, it becomes a formidable assassination weapon. Once the location is identified, it can silently kill anyone in the world.

However, human rights organizations have expressed concerns about how this makes "assassinations for national interest" easier.

Reta Taylor, Deputy Director of the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW), stated, "Weapons like the R9X may seem absolutely safe, but proper use requires reliable intelligence," and emphasized, "Just because the U.S. wants to kill a specific person does not mean it is legal." She pointed out that targeted strikes inherently carry risks of human rights violations and breaches of international law.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.