AGM - 114 Hellfire 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 . Description . 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 . 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 variants — AGM - 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 . 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 8 , 000 meters . By late 2007 , some 21 , 000 Hellfire IIs have been built since 1990 , at a cost of about $ 68 , 000 each . Operational History . The Hellfire has been deployed all over the world in many major conflicts . From 2001 to 2007 , the U . S . military fired over 6 , 000 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 disintegration and the death of Estephan Nicolian , a student pilot . The Israeli Defence Forces have used them extensively against Palestinian targets . On March 22 , 2004 , an Israeli helicopter fired a Hellfire missile to kill Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin , which also killed both his bodyguards and 9 bystanders . The MQ - 1 / 9 used the Hellfire extensively on its missions to kill high ranking Al - Qaeda fighters throughout the middle east by the CIA . Compatible vehicles and systems . 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 Stridsbåt 90 ( Combat Boat 90 ) coastal assault boat . Variants . AGM - 114A Basic Hellfire AGM - 114B / C Basic Hellfire AGM - 114D / E Basic Hellfire AGM - 114F Interim Hellfire AGM - 114G Interim Hellfire AGM - 114H Interim Hellfire AGM - 114J Hellfire II Proposed version of AGM - 114F with lighter components , shorter airframe , and increased range — not built . AGM - 114K Hellfire II AGM - 114L Longbow Hellfire AGM - 114M Hellfire II AGM - 114N Hellfire II AGM - 114P Hellfire II AGM - 114Q Hellfire II AGM - 114R Hellfire II AGM - 114S Hellfire II Rocket motor . Contractor : Alliant Techsystems Designation : M120E3 ( Army ) , M120E4 ( Navy ) Main features : Performance : Technical data :