What Is AGM-114 Hellfire? What Does It Do? Lockheed Martin’s 40-Year-Old Helicopter Anti-Tank Missile

The primary weapon of Apache and Predator, Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire, is the legendary anti-tank missile that has been operational and continuously modernized since 1984. The R9X “ninja missile” no-explosive blade variant minimizes civilian casualties. Direct competitor to the Turkish UMTAS family.

Type

Helicopter ATGM

Range

8 km

Speed

Mach 1.3

Variants

15+

Maker

Lockheed Martin

Service

1984—

What Is It?

AGM-114 Hellfire is a laser- or radar-guided helicopter and UAV-launched anti-tank missile produced by Lockheed Martin. The name is short for “Helicopter Launched Fire-and-Forget.” Variants include AGM-114K (anti-armor), AGM-114L Longbow (mmWave radar), AGM-114N (thermobaric), AGM-114R9X (no-explosive, 6-blade), and 15+ more.

What Does It Do?

Hellfire is the primary anti-armor weapon on Apache, Black Hawk, MH-60, Predator/Reaper, and U.S. Navy combatants (Mk 60 PATRIOT variant). The R9X “ninja missile” contains no explosive; only 6 kinetic blades, enabling assassination of target individuals (terrorist leaders) without collateral damage. Al-Qaeda leader Hamza bin Laden (2019) and Ayman al-Zawahiri (2022) were killed with this weapon.

Technical Specifications

Specification	Value
Class	Helicopter and UAV-launched multi-role precision missile
Length	1.63 m
Diameter	178 mm
Weight	45—49 kg (by variant)
Motor	Solid fuel
Range	8 km (helicopter), 11 km (aircraft)
Speed	Mach 1.3
Guidance	Laser SAL (K) / mmWave radar (L Longbow) / GPS+IIR (R)
Warhead	Tandem HEAT (K), thermobaric (N), 6-blade no-HE (R9X)

Lockheed Martin Longbow Hellfire under AH-64. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Who Bought It, At What Price?

Hellfire unit cost is approximately 150,000 USD (R9X estimated at 100,000 USD). 100,000+ units produced. Ukraine, Poland, India, Australia, Japan, UK, Saudi Arabia are among operators. In 2024, the U.S. began partial replacement with JAGM (Joint Air-to-Ground Missile).

Operator	Platform	Units	Year
U.S. Army	Apache AH-64	30,000+	1984
U.S. Navy	MH-60R	5,000+	2000
U.S. Air Force	MQ-9, MQ-1	10,000+	2001
United Kingdom	Apache AH Mk1	5,000+	2004
Israel	Apache AH-64A/D	–	1990
Saudi Arabia	AH-64D	–	2010
Türkiye	AH-1 Cobra (1990s)	–	1995—2010 (retired)
India	AH-64E	–	2020
Australia	MH-60R	–	2010
Ukraine	Ground + U.S. platforms	–	2022

Comparison With Turkish Counterpart

Türkiye’s Hellfire equivalent is a multi-layered ROKETSAN portfolio: UMTAS (8 km IIR + data-link, primary weapon of ATAK helicopter), L-UMTAS (8 km laser-guided lightweight variant), and CİRİT (8 km laser-guided 70 mm precision rocket). UMTAS directly replaces Hellfire AGM-114K on ATAK; L-UMTAS fits laser-designator operator scenarios. A Turkish R9X-equivalent has not yet been announced.

Criterion	Hellfire K (LM)	UMTAS (ROKETSAN)	L-UMTAS (ROKETSAN)
Class	Helicopter ATGM	Helicopter ATGM	Helicopter ATGM (laser)
Range	8 km	8 km	8 km
Weight	49 kg	37 kg	37 kg
Guidance	Laser SAL	IIR + data-link	Semi-active laser
Warhead	Tandem HEAT	Tandem HEAT	Tandem HEAT
Platform	Apache, Black Hawk	ATAK, TB2 (planned), ground	ATAK, TB2, Akıncı
Modern features	15+ variants	Data-link with man-in-loop	Fast integration
Cost	~150,000 USD	Domestic	Domestic

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the R9X “ninja missile” really not explode?

Correct. Instead of a conventional warhead, it has 6 kinetic blades; 45 kg weight + 1,000 km/h speed shred the target individual. Collateral damage is near zero. Ayman al-Zawahiri and Hamza bin Laden were killed this way.

Is UMTAS better than Hellfire?

Equivalent category. UMTAS data-link provides post-launch target change (man-in-loop), which Hellfire K cannot. Hellfire family leads on modularity (15+ variants).

Can Türkiye buy Hellfire?

S-400 sanctions block U.S. arms exports. UMTAS and L-UMTAS provide full domestic capacity and are in export phase.

Is CİRİT an alternative to Hellfire?

Different category — CİRİT is a 70 mm precision rocket, Hellfire a heavy anti-tank missile. CİRİT offers a low-end economic solution while UMTAS is in the high-end Hellfire category.

What is JAGM?

Lockheed Martin’s Hellfire successor (Joint Air-to-Ground Missile). Dual-mode (laser + mmWave radar) seeker, 16 km range. Reached full operational capability in 2024.

Conclusion

Hellfire is the gold standard of the helicopter ATGM category with 40 years of operational history. Türkiye’s UMTAS + L-UMTAS + CİRİT trio competes directly with Hellfire in the global market through ATAK helicopter exports; especially in Pakistan, Nigeria, Philippines, UMTAS is decisive. Competition with JAGM through 2025—2030 will accelerate the development of UMTAS Block-2.