Helicopter armament: the French Army pioneered the use of missiles from helicopters during its conflict in Algeria in the 1950s. From that moment, the rotary-wing aircraft became a `must' platform for anti-armour warfare throughout the world. (Complete Guide).

Hellfire 

Today, one of the most potent, but at 50 kilograms also one of the heaviest, helicopter-launched anti-armour weapons is the supersonic, laser-homing Lockheed Martin AGM-114K Hellfire II, which has a remarkably long range (over 8000 metres) and was recently been selected by Australia to arm its new Tiger. It should be explained that, although originally developed by Rockwell, in May 1955 this programme became the responsibility of Hellfire Systems (HSLLC), formed by what are now Lockheed Martin and Boeing. However, in February 1999, without dissolving HSLLC, work-shares were reassigned, with Lockheed Martin assuming total responsibility for future marketing, producing, delivering and supporting the Hellfire weapon system. HSLLC continues as the legal entity for sales and support of the system.

Lockheed Martin has so far produced over 16,000 Hellfire IIs for the US services and twelve international customers. Its light weight (45kg) allows 16 Hellfires to be carried on the US Marine Corps SuperCobra. The 49 kg AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire employs millimetre-wave radar guidance and is the joint responsibility of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. As in the case of the laser-homing version, it can lock on to the target either before or after launch. Over 13,000 are on order for use on the AH-64D Apache Longbow by the US and British armies, and the 5000th was completed in March 2002. The RAH-66 Comanche will use the AGM-114K and the -114L. Lockheed Martin is currently studying a possible 49 kg IR Hellfire, which would have a 256 x 256 MCT (mercury-cadmium telluride) imaging seeker.

Mokopa and Vikhr

Two other long-range laser guided missiles are the Kentron (Denel) Mokopa and Russia's KBP Vikhr. The Mokopa (Black Mamba) is being developed for the Rooivalk helicopter and is also to be qualified on a ground vehicle for export purposes. It was hoped to successfully market this weapon as an option for the Tiger helicopter, but the qualification of Hellfire on the Tiger for Australia now makes this less likely. Upgrades with millimetre-wave or IIR guidance are planned.

The tube-launched laser beam-riding KBP 9M121M Vikhr-M (AT-16) is believed to be a derivative of the 9M120 Ataka (AT-9) series, combining a peak speed of around Mach 2.35 with a range of 10,000 metres. Unlike the Hellfire, the Vikhr is designed to be used from both rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft. Beam-riding suggests, that it cannot be used in an indirect-fire mode, but it may have a laser seeker in the nose. Its warhead is described as combining shaped-charge with blast and fragmentation effects. However, the Vikhr's slender body (approximately 130 mm, compared to 178 mm for Hellfire and Mokopa) suggests that its armour penetration is more limited. It is said to penetrate 900 to 1000 mm of armour behind ERA.

Trigat-LR

Another relatively long-range helicopter-launched anti-armour missile is the MBDA Trigat-LR, which employs imaging infrared guidance for fire-and-forget capability. However, the only potential customer in prospect appears to be the German Army, which may possibly use it on the Tiger. France will definitely not buy it before 2008, and a rumoured unit price of around 500,000 [euro] will not encourage exports. The Trigat-LR may see ground vehicle-launched applications. A project calls for a telescopic platform that could hoist up several launchers and the thermal sights enabling the vehicle to remain concealed behind manmade or natural obstacles.

Spike-ER

An alternative to the Trigat-LR is the Israeli Rafael Spike-ER, which is being promoted in Germany by the Eurospike consortium, combining Rafael with Rheinmetall, Diehl and STN Atlas. Previously referred to as the NT-D (Nun Tet--Dandy), it is a larger version of the Spike/Gill family, with a range of six kilometres, a fibre-optic link and the choice of CCD or IIR seekers.

Hot

Instead of using the Trigat-LR, the French Army will continue with the wire-guided Euromissile Hot, which has already gone through several stages of development, notably with the Hot2T, which introduced a telescopic precursor charge.

Tow

The Hot currently provides somewhat more range than the Raytheon BGM-71 Tow, but this deficiency is being rectified (at least in the case of the top-attack Tow-2B) by the introduction of a less blunt nose and more guidance wire, which increases the maximum range from 3750 to 4500 metres. Flight trials of this Tow Extended Range began early this year. Whether the same range can be achieved with the direct-attack Tow-2A (the telescopic nose of which complicates aerodynamic improvements) remains to be seen. Switzerland's Ruag Munition manufactures an improved warhead for the Swiss Army version of the Tow-2A, known as the Tow WH96, and Miltec produced the safety and arming system under American licence.

Raytheon's current emphasis is on enhancing the effectiveness of the Tow by means of the Itas (Improved Target Acquisition System), which allows target detection and identification ranges to be increased by factors of four and two respectively. The next major advance will be provided by the radioguided Tow RF, which will overcome the limitations imposed by the guidance wires of the existing system. Raytheon uses the term "Next Generation Tow" to apply to both the Tow Extended Range and the Tow RF. The Tow series is in use in over 45 countries.

Common Missile

In the longer term both the Tow and the Hellfire are to be superseded in the US Army inventory by the new Common Missile, which is now in the pre-EMD (Engineering and Manufacturing Development) phase and is being competed by a Boeing/Northrop Grumman team, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. The missile should provide improvements in range and time-of-flight and feature a multi-mode (laser/imaging infrared/mm wave) seeker allowing lock-on after launch, a mission-selectable warhead and a controllable-thrust rocket motor. The key to controlling thrust may lie in the use of a gelled propellant with metal additives in a hydrocarbon fuel. This can be stored like a solid propellant, but when under pressure flows like a liquid, and is thus `throttleable'.

Shturm

Older long-range missile systems include the supersonic (Mach 1.55) KBM 9M114 Shturm (AT-6), which has radio saclos guidance, a range of 6000 metres and entered service on the Mi-24 in 1976. Aside from being the first supersonic Soviet missile in this class, it was innovative in flying well above the line-of-sight and diving on the target in the last few hundred metres. Like all the helicopter missiles discussed above, the Shturm can be fired from ground vehicles. In the mid-1990s it was promoted in 9P149 Shturm-S form, based on an MT-LB tracked vehicle that carried twelve rounds.

The latest known variant for the Shturm-V system used on the Ka-29 and Mi-24 appears to be the 9M120 Ataka-V (AT-9), which was promoted at Eurosatory 2000 by the Kovrov Mechanical Plant. Last June it was reported that the plant had been funded by Russia's Defence Ministry to restart production of the 9M120, to replace rounds used in Chechnya. Production had stopped in the early 1990s due to lack of funds, but the 9M120 is used on Mi-24/35 upgrades and the Mi-28 family.

South Africa's Kentron Ingwe (Leopard) is a Tow-class laser beam-riding missile with a maximum range of 5000 metres. For export customers, it has been cleared for use on the Mi-24 (presumably for Algeria) and one type of ground vehicle.

Medium Ranges--Malyutka

Offering half the range of the Shturm/ Ataka series, the saclos wire-guided KBM 9M14 Malyutka (Baby) or AT-3, which entered service in 1961, is still being upgraded. The Mayutka-2 used on helicopters such as the Mi-17 has a heavier tandem warhead and an improved rocket motor, giving a reduced time-of-flight. In ground-based form it is used with the Lomo Lcem (Land Control Equipment Module), which reduces its field of view to suit the distance to the target, minimising susceptibility to countermeasures. The Lcem also detects the rotation of the missile by means of its two base-mounted flares, thus ignoring simple decoys. The Mayutka M2T is a joint development by Romania's Arsenalul Armatei and Euromissile, substituting the tandem warhead from the Milan 2T.