US Special Operations to get Hero-120SF loitering munitions
Hero-120SF munitions will be made in Virginia and South Carolina. (Image: UVision)
Unveiled at the Paris Air Show 2019, Hero-120 is a loitering munition system fitted with a 4.5kg warhead. In June 2021, the US Marine Corps announced the HERO-120 had been selected for its Organic Precision Fire Mounted (OPF-M) programme.
UVision and Mistral will supply Hero-120SF Loitering Munitions to US Special Operations Command under a US$73.5 million contract announced on 5 June. The number of missiles was not disclosed but it was likely for less than 200 systems.
The contract included munitions, spare parts, engineering change proposals, new equipment training and conversion from organic precision fires-mounted to medium-range precision strike systems. Work will be expected to be completed by 2029.
Production of the Hero-120SF will take place at UVision US facilities in Virginia and at the new SAIC plant in South Carolina which opened in March.
The Hero-120SF is a mid-range, anti-tank system designed specifically for heavy strikes against armoured targets such as tanks and vehicles. It can cause minimal collateral damage while being able to be fitted with a range of multi-purpose warheads.
The particular special forces variant includes enhancements such as improved payload capacity, advanced guidance systems and increased flexibility for deployment from various platforms.
Data on the specific variant has not been disclosed but the base Hero-120 has a range of 50km, maximum speed of 185km/h and an effective altitude of 1,500ft. The missile has a length of 1.34m and a width of 1.4m with a weight of 12.5kg.
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