Hellfire
AGM-114 Hellfire, a US precision air-to-ground missile
Last refreshed: 31 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
How did a US Hellfire missile disable a cargo ship without sinking it?
Timeline for Hellfire
Hellfire disables a cargo ship's engine
Iran Conflict 2026Mentioned in: Trump signs nothing, posts three demands
Iran Conflict 2026- What is the AGM-114 Hellfire missile?
- The AGM-114 Hellfire is a US precision air-to-ground missile manufactured by Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Originally designed for anti-armour strikes from helicopters, it is now used across helicopters, drones, and fixed-wing aircraft for precision strikes with low collateral damage.
- How did a Hellfire missile disable a ship without sinking it?
- CENTCOM aimed the missile at the engine room of the M/V Lian Star, disabling propulsion without breaching the hull or causing a fire large enough to sink the vessel. The Hellfire's shaped charge is designed to penetrate armour at a precise point, limiting wider blast damage.
- What platforms fire the Hellfire missile?
- The Hellfire can be fired from helicopters such as the AH-64 Apache, unmanned aircraft such as the MQ-9 Reaper, fixed-wing aircraft, and some naval and ground vehicles.
Background
The AGM-114 Hellfire entered the Iran conflict record on 29-30 May 2026 when CENTCOM fired one into the engine room of the Gambian-flagged bulk carrier M/V Lian Star in the Gulf of Oman, disabling its propulsion without sinking the vessel or killing its crew. The precision of the strike, targeting the engine room rather than the hull, was consistent with the missile's design as a low-collateral-damage weapon.
The AGM-114 Hellfire is a laser-guided, semi-active missile manufactured by Lockheed Martin and Boeing, originally developed in the 1970s for anti-armour use from helicopters. It has since been adapted for deployment from fixed-wing aircraft, drones including the MQ-9 Reaper, and naval platforms. The missile weighs approximately 49 kg with a shaped-charge or multi-purpose warhead, giving it the penetrating power to disable an engine room whilst limiting wider blast damage. Its precision-strike profile has made it a standard tool for US counter-terrorism and maritime interdiction operations.
Using a Hellfire against a civilian commercial vessel was a significant escalation in the Hormuz blockade, marking the first time munitions rather than boarding parties were used to enforce compliance. The choice of weapon implied a deliberate intent to disable rather than destroy, but raised legal questions about the application of force against non-combatant shipping.
