The Department of State in Washington has granted approval for a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Government of Belgium for Hellfire missiles and related equipment at an estimated cost up to 79 million dollars.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has issued the required certification, notifying Congress.
The Government of Belgium has requested the purchase of up to two hundred and forty (240) Hellfire II (AGM-114R2) missiles.
The main contractor will be Lockheed Martin Corporation, based in Troy, Alabama.
The implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of additional representatives from the U.S. Government or the contractor in Belgium.
Precision Attack Ammunition for the MQ-9B SkyGuardian
The AGM-114R2 will be designated to arm the remotely piloted MALE RPAS MQ-9B SkyGuardian aircraft that the Belgian Air Force (BeAF) has begun to deploy; in fact, Parliament recently approved the Government’s decision to equip the SkyGuardians with weaponry for precision attacks.
Currently, Belgium has ordered two complete MQ-9B SkyGuardian systems, each comprising two aircraft and a certified ground control station (GCS).
Furthermore, Defense Minister Theo Francken has announced a plan to purchase an additional complete SkyGuardian system produced by the American company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI).
The AGM-114R2 Hellfire II is the most modern version of the missile, currently in production by Lockheed Martin; it features the ability to engage various types of targets, from vehicles to bunkers to light naval units, with an indirect fire range of 8 km and a direct fire range of 7 km, equipped with a semi-active laser (SAL) guidance system.
The multi-function warhead has a reduced net explosive weight to minimize the risk of collateral damage. The minimum engagement distance ranges from 0.5 to 1.5 km.
The Hellfire II weighs about 50 kg and reaches a top speed of Mach 1.3.
In addition to the AGM-114R2 Hellfire II missiles, the BeAF aims to arm its line of MQ-9B SkyGuardians also with the 227 kg GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II already in inventory.
Source: Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA)
Photo credit: @U.S. Air National Guard – Staff Sgt. Joseph Pagan
