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Turkey’s defense company Roketsan unveiled what appears to be a copy of the United States’ AGM-114R-9X kinetic “Ninja Missile” on the sideline of the SAHA 2026 International Defense and Aerospace Exhibition that opened its doors in the city of Istanbul on May 5.
The company said that the new munition, dubbed “Neşter” — Turkish for scalpel —, is a version of its air-launched MAM-L air-launched, which is guided via a semi-active laser — similar to the AGM-114R-9X.
And just like the Ninja Missile, the Neşter utilizes a kinetic warhead with pop-out blades instead of an explosive warhead. The blades are deployed right before the impact with the use of a laser proximity fuze, installed right under the munition’s fixed semi-active laser seeker.
Unlike the AGM-114R-9X, which is a missile, the MAM-L is a glide munition, meaning it has no propellant of any sort. The Neşter is much larger than the MAM-L, but it is unclear if it is equipped with any propeller.
Roketsan didn’t elaborate on the specifications of the munition, but it can be assumed that it has a similar range as the MAM-L, which can hit targets 15 kilometers away.
The Ninja Missile was especially designed for use against specific human targets. The mix of the missile weight, high speed, and the blades gives the missile the ability to crush and cut the targeted person, even if he was aboard a vehicle. The Neşter is likely as lethal.
The U.S. military has used the AGM-114R-9X to take out several wanted terrorists, mainly in Syria, since it was first fielded in secret in 2017. Turkey was likely able to collect the wreckage of several such missiles for analysis.
In all known cases, the Ninja Missile was deployed from a combat drone. Turkey, which operates hundreds of combat drones, will likely use the Neşter in a similar manner.
With the Neşter, Turkey has become the second country after the U.S. to possess such a kinetic munition. The Neşter will enable Ankara to to reduce collateral damage during targeted killing.
Turkey carried out dozens of targeted drone strikes in Syria and Iraq in recent years, mainly targeting Kurdish guerilla fighters. In many cases, civilians were killed or wounded.
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