AGM-114 Hellfire
Template:TOC-right The U.S. Army-designed AGM-114 Hellfire missile is an air-to-surface missile used on attack helicopters and unmanned combat aerial vehicles. Originally intended as an anti-tank missile, it proved effective against a wide range of helicopter targets. It has also been used against terrorist targets by Central Intelligence Agency-operated MQ-1 Predator UAVs. While most versions are helicopter or UAV launched, the Army is working on a HMMWV launcher.
It has undergone numerous upgrades and variations. [1] Originally intended as a laser-guided antitank weapon for the AH-64 Apache, it started with a maximum range of 8000 m/8750 yd and minimum effective range of approximately 1500 m/1640 yd. The first version had an 8 kg/18 pound shaped-charge warhead
Version | User | Features |
---|---|---|
AGM-114A | Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter | Basic antitank warhead |
AGM-114B | Navy and Marine AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter | SAD (Safing/Arming Device) for safe shipboard use. Thiokol TX-657 (M120E1) reduced-smoke rocket motor as well as some improvements to seeker and autopilot. |
AGM-11C | Army | Thiokol TX-657 (M120E1) reduced-smoke rocket motor as well as some improvements to seeker and autopilot. |
AGM-114F "Interim Hellfire" | Army | Dual warhead to defeat reactive armor; better guidance with slightly reducd range |
AGM-114K "Hellfire II" | All services; -KBF sold to Sweden | Larger warhead; multiple attack flight profiles, fuzing options; range inproved over F model |
AGM-114L | Army | Compatible with AN/APG-78 Longbow millimeter radar or AH-64 Target Acquisition and Designation Sight (TADS) |
AGM-114M | Navy MH-60R | Blast-fragmentation warhead; improved SAD |
AGM-114N | Navy | Thermoparic warhead |
AGM-114P | CIA and others | Optimized for UAV high-altitude firing |
References
- ↑ Parsch, Andreas, Boeing/Lockheed Martin (Rockwell/Martin Marietta) AGM-114 Hellfire