>>> NEW DETAILS THIS MORNING OF THE KILLING OF THE LEADER OF AL QAEDA AND THE WORLD’S MOST WANTED TRORIST, AYMAN AL ZAWAHIRI. PRECISE NATURE OF THE DRONE ATTACK, AND THE DAMAGE SEEMED TO BE LIMITED TO THIS TINY PORTION OF THE BUILDING WHERE HE WAS SUGGESTS IT COULD BE THE WORK OF A SECRETIVE U.S. WEAPON, A MODIFIED HELLFIRE MISSILE NICKNAMED “THE FLYING GINSU.” TOM FOREMAN IS JOINING US NOW. TELL US ABOUT THIS MODIFIED HELLFIRE MISSILE. >> WE CAN TELL YOU WHAT WE BELIEVE WE KNOW. THE TRUTH IS THE PENTAGON, THE DOD, THEY DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS THING. THIS IS WHAT IS BELIEVED TO BE, BASED ON A LOT OF MILITARY WATCHERS WHO STUDIED IT CLOSELY, IT IS A VERSION OF A HELLFIRE MISSILE, MEANING FIVE FEET LONG, ABOUT 100 POUNDS, AND WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE IS THIS. YOU CAN’T SEE THE TWO IN THE BACK, BUT THERE ARE SIX BLADES THAT AS THIS FLIES TOWARD A TARGET, THEY POP OUT AT THE LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT, CREATING A KINETIC ATTACK FORCE. WHAT THAT MEANS IS NO EXPLOSION, JUST A TREMENDOUS FORCE MOVING THROUGH A TARGET, SO SOMETHING ABOUT AS BIG AS A SCREEN, IS EXPOSED TO THE ATTACK AND NOTHING ELSE AROUND IT. IT IS A VERY UNUSUAL WEAPON. AND, AGAIN, THEY DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT, IN PART BECAUSE IT IS SO UNUSUAL, AND SUCH A SURPRISE ON THE BATTLEFIELD NOW. >> I MEAN, GIVEN THE NICKNAME, I THINK IT ANSWERS SOME OF THE QUESTION. BUT REALLY EXPLAIN TO FOLKS HOW THIS DIFFERS FROM OTHER HELLFIRE MISSILES. >> IF YOU LOOK AT A NORMAL HELLFIRE MISSILE, YOU SEE SOME LOADED ON A DRONE HERE, WE TALKED ABOUT THE SIDE, THEY’RE NOT TERRIBLY BIG. THEY HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR DECADES, DEVELOPED AS ANTI-TANK WEAPONS. THEY ARE USED TO EDD EDD TO F INTO BUILDINGS, THEY’RE VERY COMMON AND VERY WIDELY USED. THE BIG DIFFERENCE IS THIS, IF YOU LOOK AT THE FIRING OF A NORMAL HELLFIRE MISSILE, IT TAKES OFF, AND IT IS CARRYING A WARHEAD. IT IS BEING GUIDED TOWARD A TARGET, AND WHEN IT HITS, IT IS GOING TO EXPLODE. THE BLAST AREA WHEN IT EXPLODES WOULD BE POTENTIALLY ABOUT AS BIG AS A FOOTBALL FIELD, IN TERMS OF WHERE PEOPLE WOULD BE IN DANGER. THAT’S A BIG IMPACT. AND BEAR IN MIND, THIS THING IS MOVING VERY, VERY FAST. THE DIFFERENCE WITH THIS ONE, YOU GO BACK TO THE RX-9, YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT ONE THAT DOES NOT HAVE A BLAST AREA AT ALL. YOU CAN’T CALL THIS A BOMB. IT IS A KINETIC WEAPON, IT IS A KINETIC MISSILE. THAT’S ITS PURPOSE. THAT’S WHY THEY SAY YOU’RE MUCH LESS LIKELY TO HIT ANYONE OTHER THAN YOUR TARGET, BECAUSE THE DAMAGE AREA IS RIGHT IN ONE SPOT. >> IT LIMITS THAT COLLATERAL DAMAGE THAT U.S. DRONE STRIKES HAVE FACED SO MUCH CRITICISM BECAUSE OF. WHEN YOU’RE SPECIFICALLY, TOM, LOOKING AT THE AFTERMATH OF THIS STRIKE THAT WE SAW IN KABUL, WHAT SUGGESTS THAT THIS COULD BE THE WEAPON THAT WAS USED? >> THE SAME THING THAT WOULD SUGGEST TO YOU. LOOK AT THE HOUSE. THERE IS NO SIGN OF A GIANT BLAST HERE. YOU TALK ABOUT A BLAST THAT COULD REACH OUT ACROSS A FOOTBALL FIELD. THERE IS NO SIGN OF THAT HERE. THERE IS LIMITED CONTAINED DAMAGE, YOU DON’T SEE BURN MARKS, YOU DON’T SEE BLAST FRAGMENTATION, NONE OF THE THINGS YOU EXPECT TO SEE FROM A NORMAL EXPLOSION OUT THERE. I WANT TO POINT OUT THE SPEED OF THIS THING. THIS IS IMPORTANT. THIS IS MOVING CLOSE TO 1,000 MILES AN HOUR, ABOVE THE SPEED OF SOUND AT SEA LEVEL. SO EVEN IF YOU WERE THEORETICALLY LOOKING FOR THREATS OUT THERE, YOU WOULD NOT HEAR IT APPROACHING, BECAUSE IT IS COMING TOO FAST. AT THE SPEED IT IS TRAVELING, IF YOU ACTUALLY SPOTTED THIS RELATIVELY SMALL MISSILE A MILE AWAY, YOU WOULD HAVE FOUR SECONDS BEFORE IT WAS ON TOP OF YOU. THAT’S HOW FAST IT IS MOVING. SO THAT’S WHAT MAKES IT SUCH A DEVASTATING WEAPON. PEOPLE DON’T SEE IT COMING, THEY DON’T KNOW IT’S COMING AND WHEN IT STRIKES, IF IT IS GUIDED PROPERLY AND IT IS BEING GUIDED, THIS COULD ACTUALLY BE GUIDED BY SOMEBODY IN THE UNITED STATES, THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE TO BE OVER THERE, WHEN THEY TAKE IT INTO THEIR TARGET, THE GOAL IS TO HIT SPECIFICALLY WHAT THEY’RE AFTER, AND NOTHING ELSE, AND LOOK AT THE BUILDING. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE AN EXPERT TO SAY I DON’T THINK THING BLEW UP IN THERE. SOMETHING VERY VIOLENT, VERY DRAMATIC HAPPENED, BUT I DON’T THINK IT WAS AN EXPLOSION BECAUSE IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE AN EXPLOSION. THAT’S THE SIGNATURE OF THIS MISSILE, WHICH NOW APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN USED ABOUT A DOZEN TIMES IN RECENT YEARS THROUGH YEMEN AND IN IRAQ, A FEW OTHER PLACES OVER THERE. >> YEAH. LOOK, CLEARS UP A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT I THINK PEOPLE HAVE LOOKING AT THESE PICTURES. TOM, THANK YOU. Video source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZKDSQxXjVY
