A secret 'Ninja' missile that shreds targets with six swords has been secretly developed by the CIA.

The weapon called the R9X is designed to smash through buildings and cars with the help of large blades that deploy seconds before impact.

The devastating so called 'flying Ginsu', named after a knife brand, does not have an explosive warhead to minimize civilian casualties.

Abu Khayr al-Masri, the deputy leader of Al-Qaeda was reportedly killed by one of these missiles in February 2017.

His car was shredded by the 'Ninja missile' as he drove through Idlib in northern Syria.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the goal of the weapon is to reduce unintended casualties caused by other more conventional missiles that detonate and engulf both targets and their surroundings.

The CIA developed the 'Ninja' missile that instead of exploding, deploys six blades to rip through vehicles and kill its target

Abu Khayr al-Masri, deputy leader of Al-Qaeda and second in command to Ayman al-Zawahiri, was reportedly killed by a 'flying Ginsu'

The US military leaked details of the new missile to improve its image in the Muslim world in an effort to show they are trying to reduce collateral damage, it was claimed.

It was ordered by Barack Obama after he was stung by criticism civilians were being killed in drone strikes.

As well as being responsible for the death of Egyptian militant al-Masri, it is also believed in January this year it was used to kill Jamal al-Badawi.

The Yemeni was convicted in his native country of masterminding the bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 American sailors and injuring 39 in 2000.

The 'flying Ginsu' is a modified version of a Hellfire missile, usually around five feet in length and weighing 100lb, that has been deployed by US drones and usually causes a large blast area that scorches targets and their surroundings.

Around six operations in locations such as Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq and Syria are all said to have used the bladed projectile.

One of these 'inert bombs' was consider by Obama in the operation to kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011, but instead a team of Navy SEALs stormed his compound in Abbottabad.

The missile's nickname comes from the Ginsu knife brand that alluded to Japanese samurai in their marketing.

The car carrying Abu Khayr al-Masri, deputy leader of Al-Qaeda was shredded by a 'Ninja bomb' as he drove through Idlib in northern Syria

Egyptian militant Abu Khayr al-Masri was deputy leader of Al-Qaeda until he was killed in an air strike in Syria in 2017

Speculation about the military's use of a new weapon has been rife since 2017 when photos were released of al-Masri, who seemed to have been killed inside a car that contained a large puncture in the roof with blade marks along the impact area.

Journalists noted at the time that the vehicle was surprisingly intact.

According to the report, which is based on interviews with more than a dozen accounts from current and former government officials, the weapon was born partially of the desire by former President Obama to avoid civilian casualties caused in particular by airstrikes from the CIA's drone program.

Data from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, who has been cataloging the effects of US drone strikes abroad since 2004, in the last 15 years drone strikes have killed between 769 to 1725 civilians with 253 to 397 of them being children.

Obama announced the new strategy in a speech in May 2013 when he admitted some civilian deaths were unavoidable.

The weapon used to kill al-Masri did not break the Kia Rio saloon's windows or scratch most of the paintwork

Jamal al-Badawi, a suspect of the USS Cole destroyer's bombing in 2000 in the Yemeni port of Aden, is also thought to have been killed by a 'Ninja' bomb in January this year

The port side of the guided missile destroyer USS Cole damaged after a terrorist bomb exploded during a refueling operation in the port of Aden in Yemen in October 2000

He said: 'Before any strike is taken, there must be near-certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured - the highest standard we can set.

'For me and those in my chain of command, those deaths will haunt us as long as we live.'

Apart from his alleged role in the USS Cole attack, in which he was said to have supplied boats and explosives, Badawi was also charged with attempting to attack a US Navy vessel in January 2000 with co-conspirators.

The FBI had placed Badawi on its most wanted list, offering a $5million reward for information leading to his capture.

Outside of the clear human impact, the Wall Street Journal reports that the US military is also interested in the new weapon technology for more practical reasons.

Fighters have begun to adapt to drone attacks by hiding out in areas populated by children and women, putting them ostensibly out of reach from traditional airstrikes.

The Ginsu carries with it a set of more technical pros and cons, officials said.

Because it greatly minimizes the risk of civilian casualties entailed in traditional explosives, it increases the places it can be deployed, giving pilots more potential shots on a target.

However, the amount of precision and intelligence needed to accurately strike a target comes at a cost of additional resources from officers and military officials.

Hellfire missiles may be effective, but they often endanger innocent bystanders. A new weapon, however, dive-bombs using six blades to precision-target attacks

Predator drone are unmanned vehicles that are capable of shooting missiles, conducting reconnaissance and more

The report states that the missile has been deployed somewhat selectively since it started being developed in 2011, with about six uses. Among the confirmed kills, the report says, are Jamal al-Badawi who behind a bombing in 2000 that killed 17 sailors.

Under Obama's presidency, journalists like Jeremy Scahill and others detailed a massive and covert expansion of the CIA's drone program which many likened to a silent war being waged without the American public's knowledge.

Analysts at think tanks like Brookings Institution have hypothesized that the impact of civilian casualties that result from drone warfare may even worsen radicalization. Terrorists have been shown to use the carnage as a recruiting tool to help turn citizens against the US.

In March President Donald Trump rolled back an Obama-era mandate that required the government to report on the number of casualties caused by drones outside of traditional war zones.

While the US Department of Defense reports annually on civilian casualties as a result of military operations, the CIA conducts much of its work in secret and is not subject to the mandate.