Air Weapons: China Does Hellfire

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July 14, 2012: China is offering for export a new air-to-surface missile very similar to the American Hellfire. The Chinese Blue Arrow 7 is a 47 kg (103 pounds) laser guided anti-tank missile, with a max range of 7,000 meters. China offers the Blue Arrow 7 at a lower (at least a third lower) price than the $70,000 Hellfire and is willing to negotiate. The Blue Arrow 7 is priced to sell.

The AGM-114 (Hellfire II) missile uses either an armor-piercing or blast/fragmentation (for use against non-armored targets and bunkers) warhead. The ones fired from UAVs usually have the blast warhead. The Hellfire II weighs 48.2 kg (106 pounds), carries a 9 kg (20 pound) warhead, and has a range of 8,000 meters. The Hellfire has been in service for three decades.