The United States military recently launched an attack from an unmanned drone targeting militants in Afghanistan. This mission uses an autonomous MQ-9 Reaper type drone that fires AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.
The US said the drone strike targeted a vehicle carrying multiple suicide bombers belonging to the IS-K group "Islamic State Khorasan". The bombers were reportedly planning to target Kabul Airport, where the US military is conducting an evacuation mission.
Two of the masterminds of the attack were killed according to US claims. However, there are also reports of civilian casualties in which nine family members, including six children, were killed in the airstrike. The US is still investigating this incident.
Turning to the technology used, the MQ-9 drone is controlled remotely from its home base in the Middle East. The drone, also dubbed the Predator, has inbuilt sensors and radar, can fly for more than 27 hours, carry up to 1,700 kilograms of payload and fly as high as 50,000 feet.
This drone can carry deadly Hellfire missiles. In the attack in Afghanistan, the type of Hellfire used was the R9-X, weighing about 45 kilograms. Apart from drones, these missiles can be fired from helicopters and Humvee vehicles.
The Hellfire R9X 'Ninja' is designed to minimize damage to the surroundings. To destroy the target, it relies on a muzzle consisting of a kind of long knife blade that is sharp and deadly, appearing when it hits the target. Vehicles such as cars can be destroyed, even tanks.
This kind of attack has previously been carried out by the US military several times. In early 2020, the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Major General Qasem Soleimani, was killed in a missile attack fired by a US drone.
The drone used in the attack was also an MQ-9 Reaper that flew almost silently. That time, the MQ-9 Reaper launched a laser-guided Hellfire missile, aiming precisely and destroying Soleimani's convoy.
It is known that the MQ-9 Reaper, among others, was flown from the US Central Command headquarters located in Qatar. Controlled by two pilots remotely, the MQ-9 Reaper can fly up to 370 kilometers per hour and can strike at any location and show footage.
The US drone strike program is actually quite controversial. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch criticized it because such attacks often result in civilian casualties. But US officials say the program is vital to fighting the militant group.
The sophistication of drones is considered very efficient to destroy the enemy and minimize casualties from the US military because it is controlled remotely. In a survey conducted by Pew, 61% of Americans support the drone program.