As tensions between Iran and the United States continue to rise, Turkey has quietly stepped into the spotlight with a frightening new weapon. Roketsan, one of Turkey's leading defence companies, has revealed a missile called "Nester," which means "scalpel" in Turkish, just like the small, sharp knife used by doctors during surgery. The weapon was officially displayed on May 5 at the SAHA 2026 International Defence and Aerospace Exhibition in Istanbul.

What makes this missile so special and scary is that it does not explode like normal missiles. Instead, it uses six hidden sharp blades that suddenly pop out like swords just before hitting the target. Because of this unusual killing style, such weapons are popularly called "Flying Ginsu" or "Ninja missile." The idea is clearly inspired by the secret American weapon known as the AGM-114R9X Hellfire missile, whose unique blade design was first reported by TWZ way back in 2017.

The Nester is based on Roketsan's earlier weapon called the MAM-L, which is a lightweight smart micro-munition. In simple words, it is a small guided bomb that can be fitted easily on drones (UAVs or Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles) and even on small attack aircraft. The MAM-L has already become world famous because of its use with the Bayraktar TB2 drone, Turkey's most successful war drone. This deadly drone-and-missile combination has been used in real battles in Syria, Libya, Ukraine, and during the fight between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with very effective results.

Roketsan has earlier developed many types of warheads for the MAM-L missile. These include armour-piercing versions to destroy heavily protected targets like tanks, high-explosive blast-fragmentation types that throw out deadly metal pieces during explosion, and thermobaric warheads that create intense heat and crushing pressure waves. But the Nester is completely different from all of these. It has been specially designed for targeted assassination missions, meaning it is meant to kill a specific person without causing damage to people and property nearby.

This is exactly how the American AGM-114R9X has been used many times. Such weapons can be so accurate that they can hit a particular person sitting inside a moving car without harming the driver or passengers next to him. The sharp blades cut through the vehicle's roof at the exact spot where the target is sitting. This helps reduce collateral damage, which means accidental harm to innocent people or nearby buildings, to almost zero.

According to Roketsan, the MAM-L missile is about 3.3 feet long, 6.3 inches wide, weighs around 22 kilograms, and can hit targets up to 15 kilometres away. The new Nester is expected to have a similar size and range. In comparison, the American Hellfire missile is much bigger, around 5.2 feet long and weighing nearly 45 kilograms. It is still not confirmed whether the Nester has its own engine or not. If it does not have an engine, its hitting power will depend mostly on the speed of falling, since it does not carry any explosive material.

The guidance system of the Nester is also very interesting. The standard MAM-L uses laser guidance, where the missile follows a laser beam pointed at the target. But the secret American AGM-114R9X is believed to use an advanced IIR (Imaging Infrared) system, which works like a smart heat-seeing camera inside the missile. It can automatically recognise the target vehicle and aim exactly at the right spot. The Nester may use a similar system, or it could use a "human-in-the-loop" technology first developed by Israel, where a human operator can guide the missile till the last second for perfect accuracy.

The missile also has a proximity sensor, which means it can sense when it is very close to the target. At that moment, the six sharp blades suddenly come out from hidden slots along the body of the missile, just seconds before impact.

The American AGM-114R9X has been secretly used by the CIA and JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) on MQ-9 Reaper drones for many high-profile assassinations during the past decade. With Turkey rapidly expanding its drone fleet and tensions in West Asia at a boiling point, the Nester could soon become Ankara's silent weapon of choice. If fitted with a motor, it may also be used on the T129 ATAK helicopter, giving Turkey one more deadly tool in its growing defence arsenal.

(The author is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst)