| alex757 | 17 Aug 2017 8:16 p.m. PST |
All, A couple of questions about the Hellfire missile and its ability to hit a target designated by a third party. My time frame of interest would be the mid 1980s. Did the Hellfire always have the capability to lock onto a target lasered by someone on the ground? Or was this an addition in later models? If this was available in the 1980s, who was typically equipped with a laser designator? Was it widespread, or was its use limited to special units? What units were so equipped? Thanks for any assistance you can provide.
Alex757 |
| Major Mike | 18 Aug 2017 7:29 a.m. PST |
IIRC the AN/TVQ-2 G/VLLD was found with the FIST element if equipped. Also found in the Armored Cavalry formations but I cannot give you the who or how many. SF teams were also trained and equipped when needed. The device was almost the size of a TOW sight and was over 50 lbs. It's use was not only to spot for Hellfires but also the Copperhead round fired by artillery units.
The Hellfire originally were laser seeking, either ground or airborne. Having someone else doing the designating allowed the aircraft to shoot and scoot. |
| Onomarchos | 18 Aug 2017 9:36 a.m. PST |
I was in an infantry brigade in the mid-80s. We did not have any hellfires at that time. We were still using cobras for our attack helicopters. The hellfire did not reach IOC until 1985. So there would not be very many of them in the mid-80s. |
| alex757 | 18 Aug 2017 10:55 a.m. PST |
Thanks all. I was looking for how wide spread the designators would be, and you answered the question. Mike, I had no idea the designator was so large! Thanks again. Alex757 |
 Legion 4  | 18 Aug 2017 2:31 p.m. PST |
Ditto to what Onomarchos said …  However, e.g. I was the ROK, '84-'85 with the 2ID. And in a Mech Bn. IIRC only our Scout Plt had a Laser Designator. IIRC it was called a "GLD" = Ground Laser Designator (?). The GLD was about the size of s Big set of binos, IIRC …  |
| Major Mike | 18 Aug 2017 3:12 p.m. PST |
Here's a little something on the subject, near the end of the article it talks about where teams might be found. link |
| badger22 | 18 Aug 2017 3:35 p.m. PST |
All of the Artillery teams would have a GLLD. Or, at least 155mm Artillery had them, as al 155 was expected to be able to fire copperhead. In Europe they would be organized into FST(fire support teams) of which each maneuver element had one. So each line infantry or tanker company would have a team mounted in a M113 and that would have a glld. Later on they had a M113 with a hammerhead on it looked almost identical to an ITV, and frequently were identified as such. COLTs where combat observation and laser teams. They where supposed to be inserted into the enemy's rear and call for fire from there. In Artillery BNs where the Commander thought it was great idea COLTs where the best team in the BN. Other places not so much. I always liked COLYs, got lots of good targets from them. I dont remember hellfire being something they planed to designate much themselves. The chopper crews seemed to be ready to do that themselves. Coordintation of something like that could be a pain to get right, and targets dont sit around waiting to be shiot. We had a hard time setting up copperhead shots, and that was all internal to a single arty BN. Owen |
| Legion 4 | 19 Aug 2017 5:45 a.m. PST |
GLLD That's it ! What does in stand for again ? |
| Major Mike | 19 Aug 2017 7:33 a.m. PST |
Ground Laser Locator Designator or Ground/Vehicle Laser Locator Desigantor |
| Legion 4 | 19 Aug 2017 3:22 p.m. PST |
Ah ! Yes ! That's it ! Thanks ! |
| ScoutJock | 20 Aug 2017 9:52 a.m. PST |
We had rifle size laser designators at Ft Hood in the early eighties in the 6th Cav Bde, but hardly anybody knew how to use them. They were designed for use with LGBs. As I recall, you powered it up, got the code from the pilot for the munition seeker head, entered it with a thumb wheel, told the pilot when you acquired and lased the target. He would call spot on when the seeker had the target and release. You had to continue to designate through impact. That was a far cry from when the OH58D models came into service in the late eighties. They would just acquire the target, put the designator on it, which would calculate the 8 digit grid as well as the azimuth and distance from the designator. You could then send it to the firing platform, be it FDC, fast movers or Apaches via secure data burst. In the case of Apaches, they would launch the missile in the general direction of the target, you designate the target until the seeker locks on and the target is history. |
| Legion 4 | 20 Aug 2017 2:40 p.m. PST |
That is the way I generally understood it. You "las" the target and the ordinance locks on … game over. |
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