Hellfire Missile

Hellfire Missile

Hellfire Missile Latest News

A never-before-seen video has left Washington in disbelief after it appeared to show a US Hellfire missile bouncing harmlessly off an unidentified flying object (UFO) off the coast of Yemen.

About Hellfire Missile

  • It is an air-to-ground, laser-guided, subsonic tactical missile with significant anti-tank capacity. 
  • It can also be used as an air-to-air weapon against helicopters or slow-moving fixed-wing aircraft.
  • It is used by the United States military as well as 30 US allies.
  • The United States began developing the AGM-114 Hellfire in 1972 to address the Army’s requirement for a helicopter-launched antitank missile to counter Soviet armor formations.
  • The Air-to-Ground (AGM)-114 provides precision striking power against tanks, structures, bunkers, and helicopters. 
  • The Hellfire missile is capable of defeating any known tank in the world today. 
  • It is the missile of choice for several kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as the MQ-1B Predator, MQ-9 Reaper, and MQ-1C Grey Eagle.

Hellfire Missile Features

  • AGM-114 missiles measure between 1.63-1.75 m in length, 0.178 m in diameter, and weigh 45-48.5 kg. 
  • They have a range of 7-11 km while carrying a payload of 8-11 kg. 
  • The missile flies at subsonic speeds to a maximum of Mach 1.3 (450 m/s).
  • It is propelled by a single-stage solid-propellant solid-fuel rocket motor. 
  • The missile can be guided towards the objective either from inside the aircraft or by lasers outside the aircraft.
  • The AGM-114R multipurpose missile is the latest in the Hellfire II missile range.
    • Also known as the Hellfire Romeo, the missile integrates the capabilities of all previous Hellfire II variants.
    • It can be launched from several different kinds of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, surface ships, and military ground vehicles.
    • It uses a semi-active laser guidance system and an integrated blast fragmentation sleeve warhead to engage targets that previously needed several Hellfire variants to destroy.

Source: HT

Hellfire Missile FAQs

Q1: The Hellfire missile was developed by which country?

Ans: It is an air-to-ground, laser-guided, subsonic tactical missile with significant anti-tank capacity.

Q2: What is the range of the Hellfire missile?

Ans: 7–11 km

Q3: What type of propulsion system does the Hellfire missile use?

Ans: Single-stage solid-propellant rocket motor.

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