The Hellfire R9X missile, the “flying knife” that killed Al Zawahiri

TVery few elements have filtered on the American operation which led to the elimination of the leader of Al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, on Monday 1^er August in Kabul. We just know that a drone fired two missiles at the man who imagined the attacks of September 11, 2001 with Osama bin Laden, while he was on his balcony in the Afghan capital. No other victim is known, and, on the spot, the house concerned does not show traces of explosion. This last clue leaves little doubt: Hellfire R9X missiles were used, that is to say a version without an explosive charge, which is replaced by blades that deploy before impact to eliminate the target.

This secret weapon was developed by the CIA and the Pentagon under the name AGM-114R9X…