Hellfire Replacement

[Eric Moore]

It looks like a replacement for the Hellfire missile is in the works.
See:

http://aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_aerospacedaily_story.jsp?id=news/jcm03263.xml

[Bill Silvey]

"Eric Moore" > wrote in message
om
> It looks like a replacement for the Hellfire missile is in the works.
> See:
>
>
http://aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_aerospacedaily_story.jsp?id=news/j
cm03263.xml

Cool stuff. I wonder if it will also replace Brimstone, the British
Hellfire they've had problems* with.

*due to missile exhaust debris striking the vertical stabilizer during
launch.

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[Urban Fredriksson]

In article >,
Bill Silvey > wrote:

>Cool stuff. I wonder if it will also replace Brimstone, the British
>Hellfire they've had problems* with.

I don't think so, because it only looks like a Hellfire.
But since the article mentiones Hornets, I think it's a
given the US won't buy Brimstone.

>*due to missile exhaust debris striking the vertical stabilizer during
>launch.

And I've not heard of any launch problems with it. Which
aircraft type is this supposed to have happened on?

(Are you perhaps thinking of the Air to Air Starstreak test
launch(es) from Apache helicopters? (British Apaches will
use Hellfire, not Brimstone.))

<http://www.mod.uk/dpa/projects/Brimstone.htm>
<http://www.eurofighter.starstreak.net/common/AG/brimstone.html>

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the soap" and the elephant said, "No soap, radio!"

[robert arndt]

Some other European missiles under development:

http://www.ets-news.com/guided_weap.htm

BTW, isn't the Brimstone just a Hellfire copy?

Rob

[Keith Willshaw]

"robert arndt" > wrote in message
om...
> Some other European missiles under development:
>
> http://www.ets-news.com/guided_weap.htm
>
> BTW, isn't the Brimstone just a Hellfire copy?
>

No its a derivative rather than a copy, basically it
has a more advanced millimetre wave radar seeker,
can be pre-programmed with targetting and engagement
information. Additionally its better suited to fast jet
launch than is hellfire.

Keith

[Peter Kemp]

On 1 Jul 2003 06:50:23 -0700, (tedster) wrote:

>Apparently the debris problem on the Apaches was caused by a plug
>covering the Hellfire motor not vaporising on firing. This could
>damage the stabilizer. Don't know why this should have affected the UK
>Apaches and not the US ones. Was there a problem with the CRV7 rockets
>as well? It seems as though the MoD is taking the view that they will
>put up with the debris from Hellfire as an additional maintenance
>cost.

IIRC it was a slightly dodgy batch of missiles - good enough to pass
acceptance testing, not good enough to field. As the US has rather
more missiles, they were less affected.

[lihakirves]

Peter Kemp wrote:
> On 1 Jul 2003 06:50:23 -0700, (tedster) wrote:
>
>
>>Apparently the debris problem on the Apaches was caused by a plug
>>covering the Hellfire motor not vaporising on firing. This could
>>damage the stabilizer. Don't know why this should have affected the UK
>>Apaches and not the US ones. Was there a problem with the CRV7 rockets
>>as well? It seems as though the MoD is taking the view that they will
>>put up with the debris from Hellfire as an additional maintenance
>>cost.
>
>
> IIRC it was a slightly dodgy batch of missiles - good enough to pass
> acceptance testing, not good enough to field. As the US has rather
> more missiles, they were less affected.
>

Two-Thirds of US Army's Hellfire missiles are defective!

As of November 2002 about two-thirds of the Army's Hellfire missiles --
about 10,000 weapons -- had flawed rocket motors that needed to be
retrofitted, and most of the missiles had yet to be fixed. The problems
affect only Hellfire rocket motors made by a particular contractor,
Hercules Aerospace Co. A second contractor's motors are fine. About
4,800 Longbow Hellfires and 5,200 Laser Hellfires are affected -- all
the Longbows and half the Lasers. The Navy does not need to fix its
Hercules Hellfires, because its helicopters are configured differently
from the Army's and the risk is low.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/agm-114.htm