Ok let's talk AGM-114R9X and this strike against ISIS-K. I have gotten a ton of mail on this with people asking if it was used. We were the very first to suggest the existence of this weapon and have been reporting on it ever since. I see no indication that it was used...
in this operation. I must stress, R9X is not the only low lethality munition out there. A GBU-12/49 kit with a concrete Mk82 form can also achieve this and there are multiple other weapons that are being developed to do this in different ways. JSOC would be first to get them...
So not every targeted assassination is an R9X that doesn't leave a huge scorch mark on the earth. Also, there are aspects of the employment of that weapon that do not match up here at all. We do not believe it is as simple as a Hellfire with "swords."
This thing has become a real media gem, lots of people just jump to this conclusion, so be wary. JSOC/CIA guys have an increasingly wide weapons menu to do this type of thing, some of which we have never seen. This will become more important than ever as we...
leave Middle East trouble spots in the form of an on-the-ground presence and move to more over the horizon operations. Expect new munitions with exotic capabilities. Smaller options like Viper Strike etc already exist anyway.
*low collateral damage (not lethality, it is lethal, but my brain is not at 3am!
My report from nearly 5 years ago positing that something like this existed after a strike in Syria:
thedrive.com/the-war-zone/7…
thedrive.com/the-war-zone/7…
Our most recent report on the missile (lots in between the two, links in the post) thedrive.com/the-war-zone/3…
And of course new evidence could change this analysis, but that is where it stands at this time.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
