| tiers | |
|---|
| categories | | "WEG" |
| "Aircraft Armament" |
| "Aircraft Missiles" |
| "Air-to-Surface Missiles" |
| "Tier2" |
|
|---|
| notes | "The AGM-114 Hellfire is an air-to-surface missile (ASM) first developed for anti-armor use, but later models were developed for precision drone strikes against other target types, and have been used in a number of targeted killings of high-profile individuals. It was originally developed under the name Heliborne, Laser, Fire and Forget Missile, which led to the colloquial name "Hellfire" ultimately becoming the missile's formal name. It has multi-mission, multi-target precision-strike ability, and can be launched from multiple air, sea, and ground platforms, including the Predator drone. The Hellfire missile is the primary 100-pound (45 kg) class air-to-ground precision weapon for the armed forces of the United States and many other nations.
The Hellfire can be fired from rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, waterborne vessels and land-based
systems against a variety of targets.
Most variants are laser guided, with one variant, the AGM-114L "Longbow Hellfire", being radar
guided.Laser guidance can be provided either from the launcher, such as the nose-mounted
opto-electronics of the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, other airborne target designators or from
ground-based observers, the latter two options allowing the launcher to break line of sight with the
target and seek cover.
Cockpit video showing a Hellfire missile being fired at two people in Afghanistan.
The development of the Hellfire Missile System began in 1974 with the U.S. Army requirement for a
"tank-buster", launched from helicopters to defeat armored fighting vehicles. Production of the
AGM-114A started in 1982.
The Hellfire II, developed in the early 1990s is a modular missile system with several variants.
Hellfire II's semi-active laser variants—AGM-114K high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT), AGM-114KII
with external blast fragmentation sleeve, AGM-114M (blast fragmentation), and AGM-114N metal
augmented charge (MAC)—achieve pinpoint accuracy by homing in on a reflected laser beam aimed
at the target. Predator and Reaper UCAVs carry the Hellfire II, but the most common platform is
the AH-64 Apache helicopter gunship, which can carry up to 16 of the missiles at once. The AGM-
114L, or Longbow Hellfire, is a fire-and-forget weapon: equipped with a millimeter wave
(MMW) radar seeker, it requires no further guidance after launch—even being able to lock-on to its target after launch—and can hit its target without the launcher or other friendly unit being in line of sight of the target. It also works in adverse weather and battlefield obscurants, such as smoke and fog which can mask the position of a target or prevent a designating laser from forming a detectable reflection. Each Hellfire weighs 104 pounds (47 kg), including the 20 pounds (9 kg) warhead, and has a range of 4.4–6.8 miles (7.1–11 km) depending on trajectory.The AGM-114R "Romeo" Hellfire II entered service in late 2012. It uses a semi-active laser homing guidance system and a K-charge multipurpose warhead to engage targets that previously needed multiple Hellfire variants. It will replace AGM-114K, M, N, and P variants in U.S. service.In October 2012, the U.S. ordered 24,000 Hellfire II missiles, for both the U.S. armed forces and foreign customers. The Joint Common Missile (JCM) was to replace Hellfire II (along with the AGM-65 Maverick) by around 2011. The JCM was developed with a tri-mode seeker and a multi-purpose warhead that would combine the capabilities of the several Hellfire variants. In the budget for FY2006, the U.S. Department of Defense canceled a number of projects that they felt no longer warranted continuation based on their cost effectiveness, including the JCM. A possible new JCM successor called the Joint Air to Ground Missile (JAGM) is under consideration. Due to budget reductions, JAGM development was separated into increments, with Increment 1 focusing on adding a millimeter wave radar to the Hellfire-R to give it a dual-mode seeker, enabling it to track moving targets in bad weather." |
|---|
| dis | | name | "Unknown" |
|---|
| string | "00.00.000.000.000.000.000" |
|---|
|
|---|
| images | | "Lockheed_Martin_Longbow_Hellfire.jpg" |
|
|---|
| sections | | name | "AGM-114A Basic Hellfire" |
|---|
| properties | | name | "Name" |
|---|
| value | "AGM-114 Hellfire" |
|---|
|
| name | "Type" |
|---|
| value | "Air-to-surface" |
|---|
|
| name | "Manufacturer" |
|---|
| value | "Lockheed Martin, US" |
|---|
|
|
| name | "Diameter" |
|---|
| value | "0.18m" |
|---|
|
| name | "Missile Weight" |
|---|
| value | "45-49kg" |
|---|
|
| name | "Minimum Range" |
|---|
| value | "0.499km" |
|---|
|
| name | "Maximum Range" |
|---|
| value | "11.008km" |
|---|
|
| name | "Missile Velocity" |
|---|
| value | "1,601km/h" |
|---|
|
| name | "Armor Penetration" |
|---|
| value | "1250mm" |
|---|
|
| name | "Warhead Type" |
|---|
| value | "High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT)// 20 pounds (9.1 kg) tandem anti-armor//
Metal augmented charge (MAC)// 18 pounds (8.2 kg) shaped charge
Blast fragmentation" |
|---|
|
| name | "Guidance" |
|---|
| value | "Semi-active laser homing
millimeter wave radar seeker" |
|---|
|
| name | "Engine" |
|---|
| value | "Two-stage solid fuel rocket" |
|---|
|
| name | "Proliferation" |
|---|
| value | "Australia// Croatia// Egypt// France// Greece// India// Indonesia// Iraq// Israel// Italy// Jordan// Japan// Kuwait// Lebanon// Netherlands// Norway// Pakistan// Qatar// South Korea// Saudi Arabia// Singapore
Spain// Sweden// Taiwan (Republic of China)// Tunisia// Turkey// United Arab Emirates// United Kingdom// United States" |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|---|
| variants | | name | "AGM-114A/B/C/D/E/F/G/H/J/K/L/M/N/P/Q/R/S/T/M36/R9X" |
|---|
| notes | "AGM-114A Basic Hellfire Target: Tanks, armored vehicles: Range: 8,700 yd (8,000 m), Guidance: Semi-active laser homing (SALH). Warhead: 18 lb (8 kg) shaped charge HEAT. Length: 64 in (163 cm) Weight: 99 lb (45 kg)// AGM-114B/C Basic Hellfire M120E1 low smoke motor.// AGM-114B has electronic SAD (Safe/Arming Device) for safe shipboard use. Unit cost: $25,000.// AGM-114D/E Basic Hellfire, Proposed upgrade of AGM-114B/C with digital autopilot—not built.// AGM-114F Interim Hellfire,Target: Tanks, armored vehicles, Range: 7,700 yd (7,000 m), Guidance: Semi-active laser homing. Warhead: 20 lb (9 kg) tandem shaped charge HEAT. Length: 71 in (180 cm) Weight: 107 lb (48.5 kg).// AGM-114G Interim Hellfire Proposed version of AGM-114F with SAD—not built// AGM-114H Interim Hellfire Proposed upgrade of AGM-114F with digital autopilot—not built.// AGM-114J Hellfire II Proposed version of AGM-114F with lighter components, shorter airframe, and increased range—not built. Hellfire II missile exposed through a transparent casing, showing laser homing guidance system in front, copper cone explosively formed penetrator (EFP) in shaped charge explosive in middle, propulsion in rear.// AGM-114K Hellfire II Target: All armored threats Range: 8,700 yd (8,000 m) Guidance: Semi-active laser homing with electro-optical countermeasures hardening, Digital autopilot improvements allow target reacquisition after lost laser lock New electronic SAD Warhead: 20 lb (9 kg) tandem shaped charge HEAT Length: 64 in (163 cm) Weight: 100 lb (45.4 kg) Unit cost: $65,000. Essentially the proposed AGM-114J w/ SAD.// AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire Target: All armored threats Range: 8,700 yd (8,000 m) Guidance: o Fire and forget millimeter wave radar seeker coupled with inertial guidance. Homing capability in adverse weather and the presence of battlefield obscurants Warhead: 20 lb (9 kg) tandem shaped charge high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) Length: 69 in (176 cm) Weight: 108 lb (49 kg).// AGM-114M Hellfire II Target: Bunkers, light vehicles, urban (soft) targets and caves Range: 8,700 yd (8,000 m) Guidance: Semi-active laser homing Warhead: Blast fragmentation/incendiary Weight: 106 lb (48.2 kg)) Length: 64 in (163 cm).// AGM-114N Hellfire II Target: Enclosures, ships, urban targets, air defense units Range: 8,700 yd (8,000 m) Guidance: o Semi-active laser homing Warhead: Metal augmented charge (MAC) (Thermobaric) Weight: 106 lb (48 kg) Length: 64 in (163 cm).// AGM-114P Hellfire II Version of AGM-114K optimized for use from UCAVs flying at high altitude.// ATM-114Q Hellfire II . Practice version of AGM-114N with inert warhead.// AGM-114R Hellfire II (Hellfire Romeo) Target: All Target Types , Range: 8,700 yd (8,000 m) Guidance: Semi-active laser homing. Warhead: Multi-function warhead, Weight: 110 lb (50 kg) Speed: Mach 1.3 Unit Cost: $99,600 (All-Up Round, 2015 USD).// AGM-114S Hellfire II Practice version of AGM-114K with a spotting charge instead of a warhead.// AGM-114T Hellfire II AGM-114R with insensitive munition rocket motor and electromagnetic control actuators.// M36 Captive Flight Training Missile The M36 is an inert device used for training the handling of the Hellfire. It includes an operational laser seeker.// AGM-114R9X The Hellfire R9X is a Hellfire variant that utilizes a kinetic warhead with pop-out blades, intended to reduce collateral damage when targeting specific individuals. Deployed in secret in 2017, its existence has been public since 2019. This variant was used in the killing of Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi, accused mastermind of the 2000 USS Cole bombing, Abu Khayr al-Masri, a member of al Qaeda's leadership. The weapon has also been used in Syria and in Afghanistan, the latter against a commander in the Taliban." |
|---|
|
|
|---|
| type | "WEG" |
|---|
| version | 1 |
|---|
