WASHINGTON – The U.S. says Cuba has returned a dummy Hellfire missile mistakenly shipped to the island in 2014.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner credited Cuba's government for facilitating the inert training missile's return. He wouldn't provide further details.
The Hellfire is a laser-guided, air-to-surface missile that weighs about 100 pounds. Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, it can be deployed from an attack helicopter like the Apache or an unmanned drone like the Predator.
The missile was inadvertently sent to Cuba from Europe, where it was used in a NATO training exercise.
It didn't contain explosives, but its diversion raised concerns Cuba could share the technology with potential U.S. adversaries like North Korea or Russia. It had an incomplete guidance section and no operational seeker head, warhead, fusing system or rocket motor.
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