Cuba returns to the U.S. ‘wrongly shipped’ Hellfire missile

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The Hellfire missile, although inert, contained sensitive technology (Getty images)

(BBC) – Cuba returned to the United States an inert Hellfire missile that had been wrongly shipped to Havana in June 2014.

The Hellfire missile, although inert, contained sensitive technology (Getty images)
The Hellfire missile, although inert, contained sensitive technology (Getty images)

The missile, which did not contain explosives, had been shipped to Spain for a NATO training exercise, the Wall Street Journal said.

It was then taken to Germany and eventually to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris for onward delivery to Florida.

It was instead loaded on to an Air France flight to Havana.

The incident could have led to a serious loss of military technology, officials told the Wall Street Journal.

The whole affair has been embarrassing for the Americans, who have had to ask the Cubans if they could have their highly sensitive missile back, says the BBC’s Will Grant in Havana.

The missile arrived on a flight from Paris “by mistake or mishandling in the country of origin,” said a Cuban Foreign Ministry statement.

“Cuba acted with seriousness and transparency and co-operated to find a satisfactory solution to this issue,” it added.

The AGM 114 Hellfire is a laser-guided missile that can be deployed from an attack helicopter or an unmanned drone.

U.S. officials were worried that Cuba could share the advanced technology inside the missile with countries such as North Korea, China or Russia, sources close to the investigation told the Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. and Cuba, old Cold War enemies, restored diplomatic relations in July last year after more than 50 years.

The two countries have been working to rebuild their economic and trade ties.

An announcement is expected on Tuesday about the reinstatement of scores of commercial flights between U.S. cities and Havana.

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1 COMMENT

  1. Cuba returns to the U.S. ‘wrongly shipped’ Hellfire missile..
    The whole affair has been embarrassing for the Americans.
    U.S. officials were worried that Cuba could share the advanced technology inside the missile with countries such as North Korea, China or Russia, sources close to the investigation told the Wall Street Journal.
    Yall think this is a mistake? If you do then you dont know Americans.
    It was reported that Canadian government spying for US so what you think France and Germany and a whole host of others that are puppets to America doing.
    China and Russia are not and will never be too worried about what the Americans have in their military arsenal. One man said once a country have satellite killing capabilities there wil be no fighting no war between them..The big powers must say and do things to keep them as big powers..This is not the little mans club..

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