06-08-2025
AGM-114 Hellfire Missile Getting Articulated Warhead Capable Of Blasting In Different Directions
A new variant of the AGM-114 Hellfire missile with a warhead that can be set to focus its blast in different directions depending on the target is in the works for the U.S. special operations community. U.S. Air Force special operations MQ-9 Reaper drones and AC-130J Ghostrider gunships are set to be the launch platforms, at least initially, for the Selectable Precision Effects Articulated (SPEAR) version of the Hellfire.
Details about the SPEAR warhead are tucked away in the Pentagon's 2026 Fiscal Year budget request. Other budget documents show that U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has been testing SPEAR since at least 2021. The development of the new warhead has been conducted as part of SOCOM's larger Stand-off Precision Guided Munitions (SOPGM) program, which includes special operations-specific Hellfire variants and a number of other air-launched munitions. Within the U.S. special operations community, Hellfire missiles are known to currently be employed from MQ-9 and MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones, as well as AC-130Js.
The video below shows an AC-130J firing Hellfires, as well as other weapons.
A 'FY2026 increase [in requested funding for SOPGM] is due to an overall increase in the cost to provide Hellfire with a Selectable Precision Effects Articulated (SPEAR) warhead,' the Pentagon's latest budget proposal explains.
SOCOM is asking for $49.972 million for SOPGM in the upcoming fiscal cycle, $2.643 million more than it received for the program in Fiscal Year 2025. The boost in funding will also support procurement of new Small Cruise Missiles (SCM) to arm the AC-130J, which you can read about more here.
'The SPEAR warhead is a dual-mode warhead (Forward/ Radial) that allows the user to select different firing modes (Radial or forward blast) depending on the targets,' the budget documents add. 'This new variant will be integrated on both the AC-130 Gunship and the MQ-9 Platforms.'
How exactly the warhead is 'articulated,' including whether or not it physically moves inside the missile body when switching between the forward and radial modes, is unclear. No further details about the kinds of effects the warhead is designed to produce in either mode (blast-fragmentation, overpressure, etc) are provided. TWZ has reached out to SOCOM for more information.
Regardless, the SPEAR warhead is clearly designed to give a single Hellfire missile added flexibility against different target sets. The standard warhead for the AGM-114R Hellfire, the predominant version in U.S. service today, consists of a shaped charge surrounded by a fragmentation 'sleeve' that sends out a cloud of deadly shrapnel upon detonation. This is billed as a multi-purpose warhead suitable for use against a wide variety of targets, including armored and unarmored vehicles, small boats, structures, and personnel in the open. However, the shaped charge component is fixed in a forward-facing position, while the design of the sleeve would give the fragmentation effect a radial pattern.
Being able to better focus the effects of the warhead forward or in a radial direction on command could be advantageous in various scenarios. For instance, air-bursting top-down attacks offer benefits against targets in trenches or behind hard cover, especially troops and softer-skinned vehicles. A radial effect could also be more desirable for engaging certain targets inside buildings. At the same time, SPEAR's 'articulated' design would still preserve the ability to focus the blast effect forward for more traditional point attacks on targets like vehicles or boats. In general, being able to more precisely focus the warhead's blast could also help reduce collateral damage.
The SPEAR warhead also offers magazine depth benefits since a launch platform would not have to carry a mixed load of Hellfires to offer the same breadth of effects. This, in turn, would eliminate the potentially hard choice about whether or not to employ a particular version of the missile during a sortie for fear of not having that option later on. More flexibility in ordnance loadout would make it easier to respond in the most effective way possible to threats or targets of opportunity that might suddenly appear, as well. The Air Force special operations MQ-9s and AC-130Js that are expected to be the first armed with these new Hellfires routinely conduct very long-duration sorties, including ones where hours are spent waiting for the best moment to launch a targeted strike or providing critical overwatch for forces on the ground.
SOCOM is certainly already well known for fielding an array of specialized Hellfires, including ones designed to substantially limit the risk of collateral damage during targeted strikes, particularly against specific individuals. The best known of these variants is the still highly classified AGM-114R9X, which has garnered nicknames like the 'Flying Ginsu' and 'Ninja Bomb' on account of it having an array of pop-out sword-like blades rather than a traditional high-explosive warhead.
Apparently, the US carried out a new assassination strike in Idlib Governorate of Syria on remains of the R9X Hellfire missile were found at the scene of the strike on the road between Kafr Takharim and Armanaz in northern part of Idlib region. These missiles are…
— Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) December 17, 2024
In March, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released the first-ever video, seen below, of an R9X Hellfire being employed, in this case in a strike targeting a member of Al Qaeda's franchise in Syria. TWZ was the first to identify the weapon's unique impact signature back in 2017, following another strike in Syria. 'Ginsu' Hellfires have also reportedly been used against targets in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Somalia, and Yemen.
CENTCOM Forces Kill the Senior Military Leader of Al-Qaeda Affiliate Hurras al-Din (HaD) in SyriaOn Feb. 23, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria, targeting and killing Muhammed Yusuf Ziya Talay, the senior military leader of…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 1, 2025
At least three other Hellfire designations – AGM-114R9E, R9G, and R9H – have been linked to low collateral damage variants in SOCOM's SOPGM arsenal, though details about their specific configurations are limited, as you can read more about here.
All this being said, it would not be hard to see Hellfires with SPEAR warheads migrating to other platforms outside of the U.S. special operations community. In addition, Hellfire missiles, the majority of which are laser-guided munitions, are best known as air-to-ground weapons, but the millimeter wave radar-guided AGM-114L Longbow variant has emerged as a useful tool for tackling drones in recent years. A warhead with selectable directional effects would offer advantages in the anti-air role.
The SPEAR warhead itself, or new designs leveraging the design, could find their way into other munitions. The AGM-179A Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM), which is expected to eventually supplant the Hellfire in U.S. service, is notably derived from the AGM-114R and uses the same multi-purpose warhead.
It's also interesting to note here that the U.S. Air Force has been testing heavily modified AGM-114s with entirely new, fully articulating nose sections as part of its Missile Utility Transformation via Articulated Nose Technology (MUTANT) project. MUTANT has been exploring whether this technology could help improve the probability of a missile scoring a kill against an aerial target. The Air Force has stressed that Hellfire is currently being used mostly because it is a readily available design, and that it is not necessarily a direct path to an operational munition. Whether there has been any interest in exploring how the MUTANT technology could apply in an air-to-ground context is unknown.
In the meantime, SOCOM is at least moving forward with plans to arm MQ-9s and AC-130Js with new Hellfires carrying SPEAR warheads.
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