Hellfire Missile: The U.S. Military’s Go To Weapon Of War

[Peter1469]

For now. It will soon be replaced with a new air to ground missile with a greater range.

Hellfire Missile: The U.S. Military’s Go To Weapon Of War

The AGM-114 Hellfire missile has been a staple in American media for what seems like forever. You can find them in movies, television shows, and especially video games, and there’s a reason why.

The AGM-114 has become the weapon of choice for the United States military for taking down high-value targets. In fact, the Hellfire has been used over 7000 times since it was first adopted by the United States military in 1984 and has been used in several notable instances, the most recent being Qasem Soleimani.
The Hellfire, Explained


The AGM-114 Hellfire is an air-to-ground guided missile designed with the philosophy of “accuracy by blast radius.” It has been described as fire-and-forget due to its ability to track targets with laser guidance from the launcher or from the ground. These missiles can even follow targets when they run for cover.

Retirement Coming Soon?

The time of the AGM-114 Hellfire missile may be coming to an end though. The United States Army is looking to eventually replace the Hellfire with JAGMs (Joint Air to Ground Missile). The new JAGMs aren’t really a completely new system, just an upgraded version of air-to-ground missiles already in the military’s arsenal. The new missiles have one big advantage: range. They would allow pilots to fire missiles from farther away to maintain safety on fire missions. For now though, the AGM-114 is extremely reliable and effective and has become an icon with a name recognized by almost any American.

[carolina73]

But you can't replace the name. Hellfire will still sound better in the movies than a AGM or a JAGM.

[RMNIXON]

But you can't replace the name. Hellfire will still sound better in the movies than a AGM or a JAGM.

I often think we go overboard with acronyms in the Government and Military.

[MisterVeritis]

I often think we go overboard with acronyms in the Government and Military.

Long ago, when I was in uniform, I attended a secret-high conference concerning cruise missiles. The briefer first discussed the variety of cruise missiles in the inventory, the ALCM or air-launched cruise missile, the SLCM, or submarine-launched cruise missile (now sea-launched) and the GLCM or ground-launched cruise missile.

Congress was demanding we come up with a common cruise missile for use in all three roles. Congress proposed a name, the Fully Utilizable Cruise Missile, the FUCM.