Hellfire II Missile Takes First Live Warhead Flight

The multipurpose AGM 114R Hellfire II missile took its first live warhead flight test as part of the second proof-of principle (POP 2) flight test.

The POP 2 flight test, conducted at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, US, featured a lock-on-after-launch engagement of a stationary target board at 2.5km.

The R model, or Romeo missile, features a multipurpose warhead to enable a single Hellfire missile to cover all target sets of the currently fielded laser-guided variants.

The Lockheed Martin-built missile can be integrated on both rotary-wing and UAV platforms and launched from higher altitudes by increasing its impact angle, enhancing stealth and lethality.

It provides a wide engagement zone to properly equipped platforms, enabling them to target and fire upon targets to the side and behind them.

During the test, the multipurpose warhead was set with a delayed fuse, allowing penetration of the target before detonation.

The missile launched with a low trajectory successfully hit the target board, which had been precisely designated by the laser aimpoint.