Introduction

Hellfires were originaly an Anti-tank weapon designed to kill soviet tanks at long range in the 70’s, The entirety of the apache Airframe was orginaly built around the incoperation and use of these leathal anti tank weapons, over the years their capability such as warhead and range has improved dramaticaly as such we have 5 different types available to use.

Seekers

SAL1

  • Semi-active laser homing. Non-programmable. Analogue autopilot.
  • Cannot Reaquire lost laser lock

SAL2

  • Semi-active laser homing with electro-optical countermeasures hardening
  • Digital autopilot & electronics improvements allow target reacquisition after lost laser lock

RF

  • Fire and forget millimeter-wave (MMW) radar seeker coupled with inertial guidance
  • Homing capability in adverse weather and the presence of battlefield obscurants
  • Programmable guidance

Warheads

8Kg HEAT

High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) is a type of shaped charge explosive that uses the Munroe effect to penetrate heavy armor. The warhead functions by having an explosive charge collapse a metal liner inside the warhead into a high-velocity superplastic jet; this superplastic jet is capable of penetrating armor steel to a depth of seven or more times the diameter of the charge. The jet’s effect is purely kinetic in nature, the round has no explosive or incendiary effect on the target.

9Kg Tandem HEAT

Tandem charges are effective against reactive armour, which is designed to protect an armoured vehicle (mostly tanks) against anti-tank munitions. The first stage of the weapon is typically a weak charge that either pierces the reactive armour of the target without detonating it leaving a channel through the reactive armour so that the second warhead may pass unimpeded, or simply detonates the armour, causing the timing of the counter-explosion to fail. The second detonation from the same projectile (which defines it as a tandem charge) attacks the same location as the first detonation where the reactive armour has been compromised. Since the regular armour plating is often the only defence remaining, the main charge (second detonation) has an increased likelihood of penetrating the armour.

Blast fragmentation Sleeve

The blast fragmentation sleeve was an cheap modification that could be fitted to most hellfire models to produce a cheap Blast fragmentation hellfire.

Thermobaric

A thermobaric weapon, aerosol bomb, or vacuum bomb is a type of explosive that uses oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion. In practice, the blast wave typically produced by such a weapon is of a significantly longer duration than that produced by a conventional condensed explosive. The fuel–air explosive is one of the best-known types of thermobaric weapon.

Hellfire Types

AGM-114FA

  • Produced: 1991-1994.
  • Target: Armored vehicles, ship-borne targets, Infantry.
  • Range: 8,000 m.
  • Warhead: 8kg HEAT & Blast fragmentation sleeve. Not capable against reactive armor.

AGM-114K

  • Produced: 1993–2018.
  • Target: All armored threats.
  • Range: 8,000 m.
  • Warhead: 9kg tandem HEAT.

AGM-114K2A

  • Produced: 1993–2018.
  • Target: All armored threats, Infantry.
  • Range: 8,000 m.
  • Warhead: 9kg tandem HEAT & Blast fragmentation sleeve.

AGM-114L

  • Produced: 1995–2005, 2016–2025.
  • Target: All armored threats.
  • Range: 8,000 m.
  • Warhead: 9kg tandem HEAT.

AGM-114N

  • Produced: since 2003.
  • Target: Buildings, soft-skinned targets, ship-borne targets.
  • Range: 8,000 m.
  • Warhead: Metal augmented charge (Thermobaric).
Tags: weapons