The 230 mph (370 kph) MQ-9 Reaper drone is piloted by a crew that can be hundreds of miles away. Hellfire, a subsonic missile, can be used both as an air-to-air or an air-to-ground missile. The Hellfire air-to-ground missile can decimate tanks, bunkers and solid structures

TEHERAN: Qasem Soleimani, whose death has plunged the Middle East into a crisis, was killed in a US drone strike on January 3. The US military’s weapon of choice was the deadly air-to-ground Hellfire missile, which is capable of destroying all known tanks.

The US intelligence and military were keenly aware of the location of the Quds Force commander from the time he boarded a plane that headed to Baghdad, US officials said, according to a report in Bloomberg.

Interestingly, though he was a very high-value target, tracking Soleimani was not all that difficult. A charismatic and public figure who was a military strategist and informal diplomat rolled into one, Soleimani did not always maintain a low profile, often posing for selfies with members of militias he commanded from Lebanon to Syria.

General Atomics contractors prepare to on-load an AGM-114 Hellfire on a MQ-9 Reaper drone

Indeed, once US President Donald Trump ordered his aides to take out Soleimani, it was a matter of how quickly the Iranian general would present a clear target to the US military.

Soleimani and his group were in two cars that left together from Baghdad airport. Both cars were reportedly hit by two Hellfire missiles each, the strike carried out by the Qatar-based headquarters of the US Central Command. 

So What Makes These Missiles So Deadly, Especially In Targeted Killings Like These?

Hellfire missile and MQ-9 Reaper drone -- a deadly combo

The laser-guided Hellfire missile believed to have been used for killing Soleimani was fired from an MQ-9 Reaper drone, which is capable of carrying four such missiles.

The MQ-9 Reaper is a very silent drone, and Soleimani and Abu Muntather al Hussaini -- the Iraqi militia leader travelling with him who was also killed in the strike – wouldn’t have known what was about to hit them.

The 230 mph (370 kph) drone is piloted by a crew that can be hundreds of miles away; it relays images of the precision strikes it is capable of conducting in any part of the world.

Hellfire, a subsonic missile, can be used both as an air-to-air or an air-to-ground missile, depending on the specific variant. 

The Hellfire air-to-ground missile can decimate tanks, bunkers and solid structures. It locks on to the target either from inside the aircraft (drone) or is guided by lasers outside the plane. 

The missile is akin to a mini-plane, comprising a guidance computer and steering control. Its payload is a high-impact warhead that can blast and burn through the toughest of armours. The car Soleimani was travelling in stood no chance.

The Hellfire comes in various variants. The US had ordered 24,000 Hellfire II missiles for the American military as well as foreign customers in 2012. In recent years, the US has been increasingly using the missiles for killing terrorists in precision strikes.