Army asks Lockheed Martin to convert 200 practice Hellfire missiles to battle-ready armed versions
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala., 20 May 2015. U.S. Army missile experts are asking engineers at Lockheed Martin Corp. to convert 200 Army practice air-to-ground Hellfire missiles to armed-and-dangerous real munitions.
Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., announced a $30 million contract Tuesday to the Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control segment in Orlando, Fla., to reconfigure 200 air training missiles (ATM-114Q-6) to air-to-ground missiles (AGM-114R-9B-1).
The ATM-114Q-6 is an inert version of the Hellfire missile used for training, while the AGM-114R-9B-1 is an advanced version of the Hellfire missile that is armed and ready for operational use.
The AGM-114 Hellfire is a family of 100-pound-class laser guided missiles for helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for use against fixed and moving targets.
Different variants of armed Hellfire missiles have shaped-charge warheads for use against armored targets, and blast-fragmentation warheads for use against urban structures.
Other variants have blast frag sleeves for use against soft-skinned tactical vehicles, trajectory shaping capability for use against vertical structures.
The latest Hellfire variant is the AGM-114R multi–purpose Hellfire II missile, which is replacing all other Hellfire II missile configurations. It has a semi–active laser seeker for use against a broad range of targets.
The AGM-114R has a three–axis inertial measurement unit, which enables properly equipped launch platforms to engage targets to the side and behind without maneuvering into position. Its multi–purpose warhead enables the missile to defeat hard, soft, and enclosed targets, which enables pilots to engage many targets with one Hellfire.
On this contract Lockheed Martin will do the work in Orlando, Fla., and should be finished by March 2017.
For more information contact Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control online at www.lockheedmartin.com/us/mfc, or the Army Contracting Command-Redstone at www.acc.army.mil/contractingcenters/acc-rsa.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
