Hellfire missiles mounted on the AH-1W Super Cobra.
The U.S. State Department announced March 21 that it has approved the sale of 288 AGM-114R Hellfire missiles to South Korea, along with associated accessories and logistical support services, and has notified the U.S. Congress to that effect. The statement also referred to South Korea as one of the United States’ closest allies in the Indo-Pacific region.
According to the Liberty Times, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) issued a statement on the 21st, announcing the approval of the sale of 288 Hellfire missiles and related spare parts to South Korea, including engineering support, technical support, and logistical support provided by the U.S. government and contractors to South Korea, such as maintenance, return parts, storage, and other logistics-related services support, for a total amount of approximately $36 million.
The statement described South Korea as “a key partner of the United States in the Indo-Pacific region to ensure regional peace and stability,” and said, “It is a vital national interest of the United States to assist South Korea in developing, maintaining and improving its self-defense capabilities.”
The statement also noted that “this agreement is designed to meet the legitimate security and defense needs of one of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s closest allies, and that this arms sale will support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives.”
The statement indicates that the South Korean government wants to use these Hellfire missiles to supplement South Korea’s existing inventory of Apache (AH-64E) helicopters.
The AGM-114R Hellfire missile is a multi-platform, multi-target U.S.-made missile primarily intended for use in anti-warfare vehicle warfare. This missile can be widely equipped on aircraft, helicopters and a variety of ships and vehicles, attacking targets in addition to small and medium-sized motor vehicles and buildings, and can also attack small enemy vessels such as rubber boats or speedboats.
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