The AGM-114 Hellfire is an air-to-surface missile developed primarily for anti-armor use. It can be launched from multiple air sea and ground platforms. It has multi-mission and multi-target precision-strike capability. The Hellfire missile is the primary 100 lb-class air-to-ground precision weapon for the armed forces of the United States and many other nations. The HELLFIRE name comes from its original intention as a helicopter-launched fire-and-forget weapon (HELicopter Launched FIRE-and-forget).2

The AGM-114 Hellfire is a combat-proven tactical missile system. The missile has been in combat use since the mid-1980s. Contents 1 Description 2 Combat history 3 Launch vehicles and systems 3.1 Manned Helicopters 3.2 Fixed-Wing Aircraft 3.2.1 Unmanned Aircraft 3.3 Manned Boat 3.4 Experimental Platforms 4 Operators 5 Variants 5.1 AGM-114A Basic Hellfire 5.2 AGM-114B/C Basic Hellfire 5.3 AGM-114D/E Basic Hellfire 5.4 AGM-114F Interim Hellfire 5.5 AGM-114G Interim Hellfire 5.6 AGM-114H Interim Hellfire 5.7 AGM-114J Hellfire II 5.8 AGM-114K Hellfire II 5.9 AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire 5.10 AGM-114M Hellfire II 5.11 AGM-114N Hellfire II 5.12 AGM-114P Hellfire II 5.13 AGM-114Q Hellfire II 5.14 AGM-114R Hellfire II 5.15 AGM-114S Hellfire II 5.16 AGM-114T Hellfire II 6 Rocket motor 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Description

The Hellfire today is a comprehensive weapon system one that can be deployed from rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft naval assets and land-based systems against a variety of targets.

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.34 Production of the AGM-114A started in 1982. The Development Test and Evaluation (DT&E) launch phase of the AGM-114B took place in 1984. The DT&E on the AGM-114K was completed in Fiscal Year (FY)93 and FY94. AGM-114M did not require a DT&E because it is the same as the AGM-114K except for the warhead. Most variants are laser guided with one AGM-114L being radar guided.

The Hellfire II developed in the early 1990s is a modular missile system with several variants for maximum battlefield flexibility. Hellfire II's semi-active laser variantsAGM-114K high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) AGM-114KII with external blast frag 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 from the launching platform. 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 and can hit its target without the launcher being in line of sight of the target. It also provides capability in adverse weather and battlefield obscurants. Each Hellfire weighs 47 kg / 106 pounds including the 9 kg / 20 pound warhead and has a range of 8000 meters. By late 2007 some 21000 Hellfire IIs have been built since 1990 at a cost of about $68000 each.

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 the U.S. military's continuing need for a proven precision-strike aviation weapon in the interim until a successor to the JCM is fielded as well as extensive foreign sales it is likely the Hellfire will continue to remain in service for many years to come. Combat history

Since being fielded Hellfire missiles have proven their effectiveness in combat in Operation Just Cause in Panama Operation Desert Storm in Persian Gulf Operation Allied Force in Yugoslavia Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in Operation Iraqi Freedom where they have been fired successfully from Apache and Super Cobra attack helicopters Kiowa scout helicopters and Predator unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs). The most recent deployment of the weapon has been by NATO during the 2011 Libyan civil war as part of the NATO operation in the country.

From 2001 to 2007 the U.S. military fired over 6000 Hellfires in combat. It has found the missile effective in urban areas as the relatively small warhead reduces the risk of civilian casualties.

The only known operational air-to-air kill with a Hellfire took place on May 24 2001. A civilian Cessna 152 aircraft entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon with unknown intentions and refusing to answer or comply with ATC repeated warnings to turn back. Fearing a terrorist attack an Israeli Air Force AH-64A helicopter fired upon the Cessna resulting in its complete disintegration5 and the death of Estephan Nicolian a student pilot.6 The Israeli Defence Forces have used them extensively against Palestinian targets.78 During Operation Grapes of Wrath on April 13 1996 at Mansouri Lebanon an Israeli Apache helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at an ambulance killing six civilians.9 On March 22 2004 an Israeli helicopter fired a Hellfire missile to kill Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin which also killed both his bodyguards and nine bystanders.1011 In 2008 the usage of the AGM-114N variant caused controversy in the United Kingdom when it was discovered that these thermobaric munitions were added to the British Army arsenal in secrecy. Thermobaric weapons have been condemned by human rights groups.12 The UK Ministry of Defence refers to the AGM-114N an "enhanced blast weapon".12 Launch vehicles and systems Manned Helicopters Hellfire loaded onto the rails of a United States Marine Corps AH-1W Super Cobra at Balad Air Base in Iraq in 2005. AH-1W SuperCobra AH-1Z Viper AH-64 Apache Agusta A129 Mangusta Eurocopter Tiger ARH SH-60 / MH-60R / MH-60S Seahawk OH-58D Kiowa Warrior RAH-66 Comanche AH-6 Little Bird UH-60 Blackhawk Westland WAH-64 Apache Fixed-Wing Aircraft Cessna 20813 Lockheed Martin KC-130 Harvest HAWK14 Unmanned Aircraft Predator launching a Hellfire missile MQ-1B Predator MQ-9 Reaper MQ-1C Grey Eagle Manned Boat Combat Boat 90 Experimental Platforms The system has been tested for use on the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) and the Improved TOW Vehicle (ITV). Test shots have also been fired from a C-130 Hercules. Sweden and Norway use the Hellfire for coastal defense and Norway has conducted tests with Hellfire launchers on Protector M151 remotely-controlled weapon systems mounted on the Stridsbt 90 coastal assault boat.15 Operators  Jordan  Australia  Egypt  France  Greece  Iraq  Israel  Italy  Japan  Kuwait  Lebanon 16  Netherlands  Norway  Republic of China (Taiwan)  Saudi Arabia  Singapore  Sweden  Turkey  United Arab Emirates  United Kingdom  United States Variants AGM-114A Basic Hellfire Target: Tanks armored vehicles. Range: 8000 m (8750 yd) Guidance: Semi-active laser homing (SALH). Warhead: 8 kg (18 lb) shaped charge HEAT. Length: 163 cm (64 in) Weight: 45 kg (99 lb) AGM-114B/C Basic Hellfire M120E1 low smoke motor. AGM-114B has electronic SAD (Safe/Arming Device) for safe shipboard use. Unit cost: $25000 AGM-114D/E Basic Hellfire Proposed upgrade of AGM-114B/C with digital autopilotnot built. AGM-114F Interim Hellfire Target: Tanks armored vehicles. Range: 7000 m (7650 yd) Guidance: Semi-active laser homing. Warhead: 9 kg (20 lb) tandem shaped charge HEAT. Length: 180 cm (71 in) Weight: 48.5 kg (107 lb) AGM-114G Interim Hellfire Proposed version of AGM-114F with SADnot built. AGM-114H Interim Hellfire Proposed upgrade of AGM-114F with digital autopilotnot built. AGM-114J Hellfire II Proposed version of AGM-114F with lighter components shorter airframe and increased rangenot built. AGM-114K Hellfire II A Hellfire II exposed through transparent casing. Target: All armored threats Range: 8000 m (8749 yd) Guidance: Semi-active laser homing with Electro-optical countermeasures hardening Digital autopilot improvements allow target reacquisition after lost laser lock New electronic SAD Warhead: 9 kg (20 lb) tandem shaped charge HEAT Length: 163 cm (64 in) Weight: 45.4 kg (100 lb) Unit cost: $65000 Essentially the proposed AGM-114J w/ SAD AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire Target: All armored threats Range: 8000 m (8749 yd) Guidance: Fire and forget Millimeter wave radar seeker coupled with Inertial guidance Homing capability in adverse weather and the presence of battlefield obscurants Warhead: 9 kg (20 lb) tandem shaped charge high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) Length: 176 cm (69.2 in) Weight: 49 kg (108 lb) AGM-114M Hellfire II Target: Bunkers light vehicles urban (soft) targets and caves Range: 8000 m (8749 yd) Guidance: Semi-active laser homing Warhead: Blast fragmentation/incendiary Weight: 48.2 kg (106 lb) Length: 163 cm (64 in) AGM-114N Hellfire II Target: Enclosures ships urban targets air defense units Range: 8000 m (8749 yd) Guidance: Semi-active laser homing Warhead: Metal augmented charge (MAC) (Thermobaric) Weight: 48 kg (105 lb) Length: 163 cm (64 in) AGM-114P Hellfire II Version of AGM-114K optimized for use from UCAVs flying at high altitude. AGM-114Q Hellfire II Practice version of AGM-114N with inert warhead. AGM-114R Hellfire II Version optimized for use from UCAVs (increased engagement envelope) Target: Bunkers light vehicles urban (soft) targets and caves Range: 8000 m (8749 yd) Guidance: Semi-active laser homing Warhead: Integrated Blast Frag Sleeve (IBFS) (combine blast fragmentation and fragment dispersion). Weight: 50 kg (110 lb) Speed : Mach 1.3 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. Rocket motor Cross section diagram of Hellfire rocket motor showing the rod and tube grain design. Contractor: Alliant Techsystems Designation: M120E3 (Army) M120E4 (Navy) Main features: Qualified minimum smoke propellant Rod and tube grain design Neoprene bondline system Performance: Operating temperature: 43 C to 63 C (45 F to 145 F) Storage temperature: 43 C to 71 C (45 F to 160 F) Service life: 20+ years (estimated) Technical data: Weight: 14.2 kg (31.3 lb) Length: 59.3 cm (23.35 in) Diameter: 18 cm (7.0 in) Case: 7075-T73 aluminum Insulator: R-181 aramid fiber-filled EPDM Nozzle: Cellulose phenolic Propellant: Minimum smoke cross linked double based (XLDB) See also Brimstone missile Mokopa AGM-169 Joint Common Missile Euromissile HOT PARS 3 LR Nag List of missiles U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command AN/PAQ-1 Direct Attack Guided Rocket UMTAS Griffin (missile) Targeted killing References AGM-114 Hellfire Variants. GlobalSecurity.org November 25 2005. Retrieved August 14 2009. http://www.redstone.army.mil/history/systems/HELLFIRE.html Globalsecurity.org AGM-114 page Introduction of the Hellfire A Revolutionary Weapon to defeat the Soviet Armor Threat Official US Army video at Real Military Flix (Hebrew) "Israel shoots down Lebanese civilian plane". CNN. May 2001. http://archives.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/meast/05/24/israel.plane.02/index.html.  In a war without heroes this boy was no martyr Fundamentalism Robert Fisk: The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East pp.773788 ISBN 978-1-4000-7517-1 Whitaker Brian (March 23 2004). "Assassination method: surveillance drone and a Hellfire missile". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/mar/23/israel6. Retrieved December 4 2010.  "Al Jazeera English The Life And Death Of Shaikh Yasin". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on August 16 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070816132853/http://english.aljazeera.net/English/archive/archiveArchiveId2639. Retrieved October 20 2010.  a b Smith Michael (June 22 2008). "Army 'vacuum' missile hits Taliban". London: Times Online. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4187835.ece. Retrieved June 22 2008.  "New Iraqi Airborne Strike Capability Spotted". Aviation Week. October 14 2008. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/storychannel.jspchanneldefense&idnews/IRAQ101408.xml. Retrieved May 20 2010.  http://www.dvidshub.net/news/60315/kc-130j-harvest-hawk-takes-new-role-afghanistan Norwegian article about the experimental deployment of Hellfire missiles on coastal patrol boats (from the official web site of the Norwegian Armed Forces) "Heavy U.S. Military Aid to Lebanon Arrives ahead of Elections". Naharnet Newsdesk. April 9 2009. http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/Lebanon/C4E6544B51A01293C2257593001BCF28OpenDocument. Retrieved April 9 2009.  External links more detailed description on FAS 1 2 Designation Systems Global Security Archived copy of Navy Fact File Janes.com Hellfire Detailed Description and Images v d e United States Tri-service missile and drone designations post-1962 150 MGM-1  RIM-2  MIM-3  AIM-4  MGM-5  RGM-6  AIM-7  RIM-8  AIM-9  CIM-10  PGM-11  AGM-12  CGM-13/MGM-13  MIM-14  RGM-15  CGM-16  PGM-17  MGM-18  PGM-19  ADM-20  MGM-21  AGM-22  MIM-23  RIM-24  HGM-25  AIM-26  UGM-27  AGM-28  MGM-29  LGM-30  MGM-31  MGM-32  MQM-33  AQM-34  AQM-35  MQM-36  AQM-37  AQM-38  MQM-39  MQM-40  AQM-41  MQM-42  FIM-43  UUM-44  AGM-45  MIM-46  AIM-47  AGM-48  LIM-49  RIM-50 51100 MGM-51  MGM-52  AGM-53  AIM-54  RIM-55  PQM-56  MQM-57  MQM-58  RGM-59  AQM-60  MQM-61  AGM-62  AGM-63  AGM-64  AGM-65  RIM-66  RIM-67  AIM-68  AGM-69  LEM-70  BGM-71  MIM-72  UGM-73  BQM-74/MQM-74  BGM-75  AGM-76  FGM-77  AGM-78  AGM-79  AGM-80  AQM-81  AIM-82  AGM-83  AGM-84/RGM-84/UGM-84  RIM-85  AGM-86  AGM-87  AGM-88  UGM-89  BQM-90  AQM-91  FIM-92  XQM-93  YQM-94  AIM-95  UGM-96  AIM-97  YQM-98  LIM-99  LIM-100 101150 RIM-101  PQM-102  AQM-103  MIM-104  MQM-105  BQM-106  MQM-107  BQM-108  BGM-109  BGM-110  BQM-111  AGM-112  RIM-113  AGM-114  MIM-115  RIM-116  FQM-117  LGM-118  AGM-119  AIM-120  CQM-121  AGM-122  AGM-123  AGM-124  RUM-125/UUM-125  BQM-126  AQM-127  AQM-128  AGM-129  AGM-130  AGM-131  AIM-132  UGM-133  MGM-134  ASM-135  AGM-136  AGM-137  CEM-138  RUM-139  MGM-140  ADM-141  AGM-142  MQM-143  ADM-144  BQM-145  MIM-146  BQM-147  FGM-148  PQM-149  PQM-150 151 FQM-151  AIM-152  AGM-153  AGM-154  BQM-155  RIM-156  MGM-157  AGM-158  AGM-159  ADM-160  RIM-161  RIM-162  GQM-163  MGM-164  RGM-165  MGM-166  BQM-167  MGM-168  AGM-169  MQM-170  MQM-171  FGM-172  GQM-173  RIM-174 See also: MA-31   ASALM   Brazo   Have Dash   Wagtail United States tri-service rocket designations post-1962 v d eLockheed Martin  Companies and partnerships LM Aeronautics  LM Canada  LM Information Technology  LM Maritime Systems and Sensors  LM Missiles and Fire Control  LM Orincon  LM Simulation Training & Support  LM Space Systems  LM Systems Integration - Owego  LM Transportation & Security Solutions  LM UK  Savi Technology  United Space Alliance  United Launch Alliance  Facilities Goodyear Airdock  Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory  LM Space Applications Laboratory  Michoud Assembly Facility  Sandia National Laboratories  Skunk Works  Active products Aegis  AeroText  Asroc  ATACMS  Atlas V rocket  C-5  C-130J  Space Shuttle External Fuel Tank  Force Hawk  F-16  F-22  F-35  JASSM  Javelin  JCM  Hellfire  HIMARS  MEADS  Milstar  MLRS  MUOS  Nimiq  Orion spacecraft (under development)  P-3  Predator missile  SBIRS  THAAD  Sniper XR  T-50  Trident missile  VH-71/US101  U-2  Statistics Annual Revenue: $37.2 billion USD (FY2005)  Employees: 135000  Stock Symbol: NYSE: LMT  CEO: Robert J. 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