Direct proof of use
U.S. Air Forces Central directly documents AGM-114 Hellfire use during Operation Inherent Resolve. On June 23, 2017, a Block 5 MQ-9 Reaper flew its first combat mission in support of the operation with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles among its payload, and the crew employed two Hellfires during armed reconnaissance for supported ground forces.
UK Ministry of Defence strike summaries separately document RAF Reaper Hellfire use in the same anti-ISIS war. In November 2016, RAF Reapers used Hellfire missiles around Mosul and northern Iraq while supporting Iraqi troops and Kurdish forces; in June 2017, RAF Reapers fired Hellfires around Raqqa and elsewhere in Syria while supporting Syrian Democratic Forces and coalition operations.
Sources: AFCENT Block 5 MQ-9 Debut, UK MOD November 2016 Air Strikes, UK MOD June 2017 Air Strikes
Timeline
The public record used here begins with the coalition campaign structure in October 2014, then gives dated examples of Hellfire employment during the 2016-2017 Mosul and Raqqa phase, and later examples after ISIS lost its territorial caliphate.
The dated examples show Hellfire use as part of armed reconnaissance, close air support, and precision strike tasks. They do not establish a full theater-wide count of Hellfire missiles fired in the campaign.
Sources: CJTF-OIR History, UK MOD November 2016 Air Strikes, AFCENT Block 5 MQ-9 Debut, UK MOD January-December 2022 Air Strikes
Operational role
The AGM-114 Hellfire appears in this conflict as an air-launched precision munition used by coalition remotely piloted aircraft, not as a weapon transferred to ISIS or documented in ISIS service. The cited U.S. example places Hellfires on an MQ-9 Reaper supporting ground forces; the UK examples place Hellfires on RAF Reapers supporting Iraqi, Kurdish, and Syrian Democratic Forces or striking Daesh targets in Iraq and Syria.
The targets described by official sources included defensive fighting positions, vehicles, a mortar tube, mortar teams, armed vehicles, truck bombs, and individual or small-group Daesh targets. Those sources support the compact catalog role as armed reconnaissance and precision strike for anti-ISIS coalition and partner forces.
Sources: AFCENT Block 5 MQ-9 Debut, UK MOD November 2016 Air Strikes, UK MOD June 2017 Air Strikes, UK MOD January-December 2022 Air Strikes
Campaign context
Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve was formally established on October 17, 2014 to command military action against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. CJTF-OIR describes the campaign as a coalition effort that used air operations, coalition fires, Iraqi Security Forces, and partner forces in Syria to defeat ISIS's territorial control.
Within that campaign, Hellfire-equipped Reapers provided a persistent armed reconnaissance and strike layer. The evidence here supports documented U.S. and UK coalition use across Iraq and Syria, while leaving possession by local partner forces, transfer quantities, and complete expenditure totals outside the sourced claims.
Sources: CJTF-OIR History, AFCENT Block 5 MQ-9 Debut, UK MOD January-December 2022 Air Strikes
