In a fiery state-of-the-nation address, Vladimir Putin unveils 6 new super weapons, warning the Western World to take notice.

They say to never bring a knife to a gun fight. But the US Pentagon’s done just that - though they have strapped it to a missile …

The Wall Street Journal reports the drone-carried weapon was designed after international uproar at the extent of ‘collateral damage’ - innocent civilian casualties - resulting from US ‘targeted’ drone strikes in Yemen and the Middle East.

Previously, the weapon of choice has been a Hellfire missile. The 45kg high-explosive guided missile is relatively small, designed to be carried by helicopters and small aircraft. Designed to destroy armoured vehicles and bunkers, its use against ‘soft’ targets often resulted in civilians being caught up in its blast radius.

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The new weapon, designated the AGM-114R9X though colloquially known as the ‘ninja bomb’, has been built to reduce unintended casualties.

It carries no explosives.

But it does carry six large ‘knives’ - 45kg of precision-guided bladed metal intended to shred whatever they strike. These pop-out of the weapon’s casing when fired like the blades on a blender, and are capable of punching through light metals - such as a wall or roof of a car.

“To the targeted person, it is as if a speeding anvil fell from the sky,” the Journal wrote.

No official image of the secret weapon has been released.

The Journal reports the bladed missile was used to assassinate Jamal al-Badawi - who was accused of bombing the USS Cole in 2000 - earlier this year. It was also used in the targeted strike against al-Qaeda leader Ahmad Hasan Abu Khayr al-Masri in 2017.

https://twitter.com/tobiaschneider/status/835940261276565505

The Journal quotes anonymous US government sources as saying they had only been fired “about a half-dozen times” against targets in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Somalia.

Analysts have noted the weapon requires a high degree of precision, as the target must be within the limited reach of the blades - and not a larger blast radius. This increases the chance of a ‘failed’mission. However, striking a specific person when in a small space - such as a car - reduces this risk.