AGM-114 Hellfire II air-to-surface missile Navy Army USMC

Aircraft Weapon System
AGM-114 Hellfire Missile

agm-114 hellfire missile lockheed martin 03x

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The AGM-114 Hellfire is a missile developed for anti-armor use, later developed for precision drone strikes against other target types, especially high-value targets. 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 a multi-mission, multi-target precision-strike ability and can be launched from multiple air, sea, and ground platforms.

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.

The development of the Hellfire Missile System began in 1974 with the United States Army requirement for a "tank-buster", launched from helicopters to defeat armored fighting vehicles.

The Hellfire II, developed in the early 1990s is a modular missile system with several variants, and entered service with the U.S. Army in 1996. 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. The AGM-114L, or Longbow Hellfire, is a fire-and-forget weapon: equipped with millimeter-wave (MMW) active radar homing, 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-pound (9 kg) warhead, and has a range of 4.4–6.8 miles (7.1–11 km) depending on trajectory. The Hellfire has a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of less than 3 feet (0.91 m).

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 formerly needed multiple Hellfire variants. It will replace AGM-114K, M, N, and P variants in U.S. service.

Variants:

AGM-114A
Produced: 1982-1992
Target: Armored vehicles
Range: 8,700 yd (8,000 m)
Guidance: Semi-active laser homing (SALH)
Warhead: 18 lb (8 kg) shaped charge HEAT

AGM-114B/C
Produced: 1982-1992
Target: Armored vehicles, ship-borne targets
Range: 8,700 yd (8,000 m)
Guidance: Semi-active laser homing (SALH)
Warhead: 18 lb (8 kg) shaped charge HEAT.

AGM-114F/FA Interim Hellfire
Produced: 1991-1994
Target: Armored vehicles
Range: 8,700 yd (8,000 m)
Guidance: Semi-active laser homing (SALH)
Warhead: 18 lb (8 kg) shaped charge HEAT. Tandem-charge, can penetrate reactive armor.

AGM-114K/K2/K2A Hellfire II
Produced: since 1993-2018
Target: All armored targets
Range: 12,000 yd (11,000 m)
Guidance: Semi-active laser homing with electro-optical countermeasures hardening. Digital autopilot & electronics improvements allow target reacquisition after lost laser lock
Warhead: 20 lb (9 kg) tandem shaped charge HEAT
K-2 adds insensitive munitions (IM) / K-2A adds blast-fragmentation sleeve

AGM-114L Hellfire LongBow
Produced: 1995-2005, 2016-
Target: All armored targets
Range: 8,700 yd (8,000 m)
Guidance: Fire and forget millimeter-wave (MMW) radar seeker coupled with inertial guidance. Homing capability in adverse weather and the presence of battlefield obscurants. Programmable fuzing and guidance
Warhead: 20 lb (9 kg) tandem shaped charge high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) insensitive munitions (IM) warhead

AGM-114M Hellfire II (Blast Frag)
Produced: 1998-2010
Target: Bunkers, light vehicles, urban (soft) targets and caves
Range: 12,000 yd (11,000 m)
Guidance: Semi-active laser homing. Delayed and programmable fuzing in for hardened targets
Warhead: Blast fragmentation/incendiary

AGM-114N Hellfire (MAC)
Produced: 2003-2018
Target: Buildings, soft-skinned targets, ship-borne targets
Range: 12,000 yd (11,000 m)
Guidance: Semi-active laser homing. Millimeter-wave radar seeker
Warhead: Metal augmented charge (thermobaric), sustained pressure wave with delayed fuze capability

AGM-114P/P+ Hellfire II (For UAS)
Produced: 2003-2012
Target: All surface targets
Range: 12,000 yd (11,000 m)
Guidance: Semi-active laser homing. Delayed and programmable fuzing in for hardened targets
Warhead: Shaped Charge or Blast Fragmentation

AGM-114R Hellfire II (Hellfire Romeo)
Produced: since 2012
Target: All targets
Range: 8,700 yd (8,000 m)
Guidance: Semi-active laser homing
Warhead: Multi-function warhead, reduced net explosive weight for low collateral damage

Specifications:
Type: Air-to-surface and surface-to-surface missile
Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin, Boeing
Mass: 45-49 kg (100-108 lbs)
Length: 1.6 m (64 inches)
Diameter: 180 mm (7 inches)
Wingspan: 330 mm (13 inches)
Propellant: Thiokol TX-657 Solid-fuel rocket
Operational range: 550 to 12,030 yd (0.5 to 11 km)
Guidance system: Semi-active laser homing, Millimeter-wave radar seeker

Warhead (9 kg / 20 lbs):
High-explosive anti-tank
Shaped charge
Tandem-charge anti-armor
Metal augmented charge
Blast fragmentation

source: wikipedia+USDoD

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