Direct proof of use
Official U.S. military sources directly document AGM-114 Hellfire missiles in the 2003 Iraq War. A Defense Visual Information Distribution Service article by the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade said the brigade improved Hellfire employment during Operation Iraqi Freedom 2006-2008 and reported roughly 500 missiles fired during the deployment.
The U.S. Army Center of Military History gives a specific combat example from September 29, 2007. In an engagement near Taji, AH-64D Apache crews from the 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment fired K2A, N-model, and F-model Hellfire missiles against insurgent vehicles and positions while also using rockets and 30 mm cannon fire.
Sources: DVIDS Hellfire Missiles in OIF, Tip of the Spear Iraq 2004-2007
Timeline
The available public record shows the Hellfire moving from a primarily anti-armor missile into a broader Iraq counterinsurgency fire-support role. During the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade's 2006-2008 deployment, Apache crews used inherited Hellfire stocks, requested different variants, and used new tactics as they encountered personnel, vehicles, buildings, and other soft targets.
On January 19, 2007, the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade submitted an operational-needs statement for AGM-114K2A missiles. The same DVIDS account says the first confirmed K2A engagement against insurgents during that deployment occurred on July 2, 2007. On September 29, 2007, the Center of Military History recorded multiple Hellfire launches during the Taji-area engagement.
Sources: DVIDS Hellfire Missiles in OIF, Tip of the Spear Iraq 2004-2007
Narrative
In Iraq, documented Hellfire use centered on U.S. Army attack aviation rather than a transfer-only story. The 25th Combat Aviation Brigade account describes AH-64D Apache crews using the missile as a standoff precision weapon in counterinsurgency operations, with demand driven by targets found by aircrews and reconnaissance-surveillance platforms at ranges beyond cannon or rocket employment.
The brigade account distinguishes variants and target sets. It says the unit inherited mostly AGM-114F missiles, sought additional types and quantities, and acquired N-model and K2A Hellfires to fit the targets encountered during Operation Iraqi Freedom. It also notes that Apache crews used Hellfires against personnel, vehicles, buildings, and other soft targets, while identifying shortcomings when armor-focused variants were used against personnel.
The September 2007 Taji engagement shows Hellfire use inside a combined Apache weapons engagement. The Center of Military History account records two K2A missile misses, an N-model missile launch with a solid track, and a final F-model Hellfire that destroyed a gun truck. It also describes the combat assessment that followed, including destroyed gun trucks, sedans, and buildings.
Late in the conflict, Iraqi Air Force AC-208 crews also fired AGM-114 Hellfire missiles during integration and training events in Iraq. U.S. Air Forces Central reported a March 23, 2011 Iraqi AC-208 launch at Aziziyah Training Range and described the capability as important for Iraqi internal security and defense; this record treats that as fielding and training context, separate from the cited U.S. Apache combat engagements.
Sources: DVIDS Hellfire Missiles in OIF, Tip of the Spear Iraq 2004-2007, AFCENT Iraqi Hellfire Test
