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AGM-114 Hellfire

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A world map showing countries that use the AGM-114 Hellfire military equipment.

The AGM-114 Hellfire is an American missile made to destroy enemy armor. It was first called the "Heliborne laser, fire-and-forget missile", which is why it is known as the "Hellfire". This missile can hit many different kinds of targets and can be launched from planes, ships, or the ground. Two famous drones that use it are the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper.

The Hellfire missile is a main weapon for the United States and many other countries. It weighs about 100 pounds (45 kg) and is very good at hitting targets exactly where they need to be. It has also been used on ships and other platforms for different kinds of attacks.

Description

Most Hellfire missiles are guided by a laser. One special version, the AGM-114L "Longbow Hellfire", uses radar instead. The laser can come from the missile itself, like from an attack helicopter, or from someone on the ground. This lets the person firing the missile move away and hide.

The Hellfire missile was first made in 1974 for the United States Army to attack tanks from helicopters. The Hellfire II version came out in the early 1990s and became a common weapon for the U.S. Army in 1996. Many different kinds of Hellfire missiles exist, and they can hit targets very accurately by following a laser beam aimed at the enemy. Aircraft like the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper can carry these missiles, but helicopters like the AH-64 Apache are often used. The Longbow Hellfire can find its target on its own after being fired, even in bad weather or when there is smoke.

Each Hellfire missile weighs about 104 pounds and can fly several miles to hit its target with great precision. A newer version called the AGM-114R "Romeo" Hellfire II started being used in 2012. In October 2012, the U.S. ordered thousands of these missiles for its military and allies. There are plans for a new missile called the Joint Air to Ground Missile that could improve on the Hellfire’s abilities.

Operational history

See also: Drone strikes in Pakistan and Drone strikes in Yemen

In 2009, the British Ministry of Defence said that Army Air Corps (AAC) AgustaWestland Apaches used AGM-114N Hellfire missiles against Taliban forces in Afghanistan. Some politicians in the British Parliament said these missiles should only be used when no other options are left.

Hellfire missiles have been used in many important missions. They were used by the Israeli Air Force and the US military in places like Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, and Syria.

These missiles can also be used to stop airplanes that do not follow safety rules.

In 2016, it was reported that a training missile without any explosives was accidentally sent to Cuba in 2014. It was later returned.

During recent conflicts, such as the Russo-Ukrainian War, Ukraine has used vehicles with Hellfire launchers to defend against unmanned aircraft. Hellfire missiles were also used in the 2026 Iran war.

Variants

The AGM-114 Hellfire has many versions for different uses.

The AGM-114A, B/C, F/FA, K/K2/K2A, L, M, N, P/P+, and R variants have been made since 1982. They are used against armored vehicles, ships, bunkers, and buildings. They can fly from 8,700 to 12,000 yards and use different guidance systems, like laser homing and radar. Their warheads can be shaped charges, blast-fragmentation, or thermobaric charges.

The M36 Captive Flight Training Missile is a device without explosives, used for training.

The AGM-114R-9X variant uses blades instead of explosives in its warhead. It was first used secretly in 2017 and has been used in operations against leaders of groups like Al-Qaeda and Taliban commanders.

Launch vehicles and systems

Manned helicopters

Fixed-wing aircraft

Vessels

Ground vehicles

  • V2X Tempest

Experimental platforms

The missile was tested on the Humvee and the Improved TOW Vehicle (ITV). Tests were also done from a C-130 Hercules. Sweden and Norway use the missile for coastal defense and have tested launchers on the Combat Boat 90 coastal assault boat.

The US Navy tested the missile for use on the Freedom-class littoral combat ship and Independence-class littoral combat ship from 2014. The missile was fired from a ship in early 2017. This system was set to deploy by late 2019.

In 2016 the Longbow missile was tested by the US Army using a 15-tube Multi-Mission Launcher on a Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) truck. The MML is an Army weapon system that can deploy both surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles.

The Longbow missile was placed on the Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) version of the Stryker to stop drones, but in 2024 the U.S. Army stopped using it on that vehicle because it caused wear and tear that raised safety concerns.

Operators

Map with Hellfire operators in blue

Many countries around the world use the Hellfire missile. Some of these countries include:

Images

The main entrance to the Lockheed Martin Center for Leadership Excellence in Bethesda, Maryland.
The flag of the United States of America

Related articles

Pakistan
United States Army
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Yemen
Somalia
Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on AGM-114 Hellfire, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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