New US missile appears to have left wide path of death and destruction in Iranian city, report says

It has been touted by the manufacturer as the ballistic missile of the future: lethal, long-range and pinpoint.

What happened

It has been touted by the manufacturer as the ballistic missile of the future: lethal, long-range and pinpoint. Lockheed Martin's Precision Strike Missile has the U.S. Military investing billions to update its arsenal.

But a close look at what is believed to be its first employ in combat – on the first day of the Iran war – highlights the potential peril of deploying this weapon near population centers as it appears to spray pellets over a wide area, according to a review by the conflict monitor Airwars and interviews with weapons experts and former defense authorities.

Three missiles that struck the southern city of Lamerd on Feb. 28 killed civilians as far as 50 meters (164 feet) from where they detonated, and caused damage more than three times farther away, Airwars discovered. The missiles detonated above a sports complex and two residential neighborhoods, Airwars discovered. The blasts killed at least 21 civilians, including seven children, according to Iranian authorities.

The bottom line

Taken together, the developments around new US missile appears to have left wide path of death and point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.