The Hellfire has been around for 35+ years. They built them at a Rockwell facility about 15 miles from here back in the 1980s. My BIL used to work there. I used to have a cool marketing poster illustration showing a Soviet river crossing, and Hellfires being fired from a jeep pintle mount, from attack helicopters, from a tripod on the ground, etc.
It was basically an integral part of the AH-64 weapons system, meant to take out mass formations of Soviet tanks coming through the Fulda gap. It has been a very effective weapon.
UAVs were invented by the Israelis. After seeing their performance in the first Lebanon War, we knew we had to have them.
They’re lethally effective in that the enemy has little or no advance warning they’re there.
You would think Soleimani wouldn’t have made the mistake of being out in the open. It left him no chance to escape. Go figure.
Cool. Can’t think of a better name for a missile. Much better than the Soviet “Scud”.....Thanks.
A Gulf newspaper reported the strike involved modified Hellfire R9X ‘Ninja’ missiles, which have warheads with pop-out spinning blades designed to minimise collateral damage.
Instead of exploding, the missile is armed with six long blades that extend just before impact, effectively shredding their targets.