The Lockheed Martin company announced the successful third firing tests of the new version of the AGM-114R Hellfire anti-tank guided missile.
The tests were carried out using a ground launcher configured to simulate an unmanned aerial vehicle launch.
The "R" version of the AGM-114 missile is equipped with a multipurpose warhead that allows for effective firing at all types of targets, for the destruction of which laser-guided ATGMs are currently used.
During tests carried out at the Eglin Air Force Base (Florida), a missile equipped with a multipurpose warhead hit a target representing an M-60 Patton-2 tank at a distance of 6.4 km. Thus, the possibility of using the AGM-114R against heavy armored vehicles was demonstrated.
The ATGM was launched in the “capture after launch” mode along a hinged trajectory to simulate the launch from the UAV. In the initial part of the flight trajectory, an inertial measuring unit and target designation data were used. Guidance in the final section was carried out using a ground-based laser designator. The missile successfully detected a laser spot and hit a target within a few inches of it.
The AGM-114R version can be launched at high altitudes, which increases the angle of collision with the target, reduces visibility and increases the lethality, as well as expands the options for hitting the target. The new inertial measuring unit allows the AGM-114R to be used against targets located behind in the course without the need to perform a turn by the aircraft. According to the developers, another of the advantages of the AGM-114R ATGM is that the operator can choose the type of detonation of the warhead during the flight.
Lockheed Martin plans to begin shipping production samples of the AGM-114R in 2012.
