What are Hellfire missiles that the US used to strike MT Jalveer manned by Indian crew?

On June 8, the M/T Marivex vessel was attacked by US forces- all 24 Indian crew members were rescued.

On June 10 M/T Settebello vessel attacked by US forces- all 3 Indians killed and 21 rescued.

On Thursday (June 11), the M/T Jalveer, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker, was attacked by US forces, and all 20 Indian crew members were rescued. This was the third attack on Indian-crewed ships in four days around the Gulf of Oman. American forces hit M/T Jalveer with two Hellfire missiles.

"US Central Command (CENTCOM) acted against a Guinea-Bissau-flagged M/T Jalveer as it attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman. A US aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship's engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from US forces," the US Central Command said on X.

More from Explainers

2 attacks in 3 days: How oil tankers carrying Indian crew have become US targets

3 Indians missing after Oman tanker attack; India summons US charge d’affaires

Describing the attack as "deeply worrisome", the External Affairs Ministry (MEA) on Thursday (June 11) called for an immediate end to such attacks.

We take a look.

What is the AGM-114 Hellfire missile?

The Hellfire is a short-range air-to-surface missile. It is manufactured by Lockheed Martin. The Hellfire was first fielded by the US Army in 1984.

Originally designed as an anti-armour weapon, it was later modified to carry out precision strikes against a wider range of targets, including high-value individuals. Its name is derived from the phrase “Heliborne Laser, Fire-and-Forget Missile.”

Every Hellfire missile weighs between 100 and 108 pounds (45–49 kg), including a 20-pound (9 kg) warhead.

Measuring 64 inches in length and 7 inches in diameter, it can travel up to Mach 1.3, or approximately 995 mph. Renowned for its accuracy, the missile has a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of less than three feet, allowing it to strike within about 0.91 metres of its designated point at maximum range.

The Hellfire carries a conical-shaped charge warhead that uses a copper-lined jet to penetrate heavily armoured targets.

Its high-explosive, shaped-charge and blast-fragmentation warhead is particularly effective against reactive armour. When directed at a ship’s engine room, the concentrated penetrating force is intended to disable the vessel’s propulsion system without necessarily sinking it, reflecting a tactic often employed by the US to immobilise vessels rather than sinking them.

Depending on the trajectory, its operational range runs from 500 metres to 11 kilometres. Hellfire functions in adverse weather conditions, including smoke and fog, that would avert a laser from forming a detectable reflection on a target.

The Hellfire is deployed across a range of US military platforms, with the AH-64 Apache serving as its primary carrier.

The missile is also carried by the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Predator drones, enabling precision strikes from the air. The US Navy launches Hellfires from MH-60R Seahawk and MH-60S Seahawk helicopters for anti-ship operations, while special operations forces have integrated the missile into the AC-130 Spectre gunship.

How did India react?

The External Affairs Ministry (MEA) on Thursday (June 11) strongly condemned the back-to-back attacks on tankers manned by Indian seafarers in the Gulf, terming it "deeply worrisome."

"There have been several incidents involving Indian seafarers in West Asia in the last few days. We attach high importance to the welfare and well-being of our seafarers' community. We need not re-emphasise this point," said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

"Yesterday, we condemned the attack on a ship off the coast of Oman in which, unfortunately, we lost three Indian nationals. We had summoned the US CDA here to register a strong protest. We expect the US to take due note of our protest," Jaiswal added.

Settebello and Marivex: Last 2 attacks

Tanker Settebello, carrying 24 Indian nationals, was attacked on Wednesday (June 10). Three Indian nationals were killed, while 21 crew members were rescued since the incident.

The Settebello tanker was attacked after a missile tore through the engine room of the oil tanker Settebello near the Strait of Hormuz, sparking a fire aboard the vessel.

The United States released visuals of its strike on the commercial vessel Settebello off the coast of Oman, confirming that the US forces had disabled an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after it allegedly breached a naval blockade.

Afterwards, Nagaraj Naidu, the additional secretary in the Foreign Ministry, summoned Meeks and conveyed India’s concerns about the attack amid escalating tensions in the Gulf region.

Marivex incident: The first attack

A fire erupted on Palau-flagged tanker MT Marivex, carrying 24 Indian seafarers, in the Gulf of Oman on Monday (June 8).

Hours later, all crew members were safely evacuated by an Oman Air Force helicopter. The Indian embassy in Muscat expressed gratitude to Omani authorities for rescuing all 24 Indian crew members in a social media post.

An audio recording of an SOS message sent by the crew of Marivex captured a crew member saying that the vessel had caught fire after what he described as a “US Navy missile strike on its engine room.” In the Marivex strike, the US claimed responsibility for the attack.

On June 8, CENTCOM asserted that an F/A-18 Super Hornet operating from the USS Abraham Lincoln launched a precision strike targeting the vessel’s engineering and steering compartments after it allegedly did not comply with US instructions and attempted to head for an Iranian port despite the ongoing blockade.

With inputs from agencies