Tri-Service
Reports: Hellfire Missiles Found On Passenger Plane
Serbian authorities are investigating reports that a cargo package heading to the United States containing two laser-guided missiles was discovered in a passenger flight from Lebanon.
N1 television said the AGM-114 missiles were discovered by a sniffer dog after an Air Serbia flight landed at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.
They had reportedly been packed inside wooden crates with documents listing the final destination as Portland, Oregon.
The missiles, which cost around £75,000 each, were due to be transferred to another plane.
It’s believed experts are examining the missiles to find out if they were carrying live warheads.
Air Serbia, which is co-operating with the investigation, said their main concerns are “safety and security”.
The FBI said they were aware of the reports but had no further information.
A Hellfire missile fired from an RAF Reaper at an ISIS vehicle
Travelling faster the speed of sound, the US-made Hellfire missiles can be fired from the air, sea or ground and use either laser or radar to home in on their targets.
They are manufactured by Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrup Grumman and weigh around 100 pounds.
In January, a Hellfire missile sent to Europe for a NATO training exercise was mistakenly shipped back to Cuba.
It was retrieved by US officials and representatives from Lockheed Martin, last month.
Cover image taken at Balad Air Base in Iraq in 2005 of an AGM-114 Hellfire loaded on a United States Marine Corps AH-1W Super Cobra.
Forces TV is available on Sky 264, Virgin 277 and Freesat 652.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
