Hunter-killer sight
- For the StarCraft Hunter Killer, see Hunter Killer (StarCraft).
- For the Top Cow Productions comic series Hunter-Killer, see Hunter-Killer (comic).
Hunter-Killer is a military term used to describe any team in which the roles of "sensor" and "shooter" are separated. A hunter-killer team's primary mission is to seek out and destroy the enemy, particularly in contexts where the enemy is attempting to evade detection rather than seek engagement.
Examples include:
- pairs of F-4G "Wild Weasels" and F-16Cs, where the F-4G "hunter" can detect, identify, and locate an enemies radar and then direct the F-16C's weapons to the site
- M2 Bradley Infantry / Cavalry Fighting Vehicle often "hand off" fire missions to M1 Abrams main battle tanks
- one or more antisubmarine aircraft carriers and a number of escort vessels whose primary mission is to detect and destroy submarines
Smaller submarines tasked with coastal defense are sometimes referred to as "hunter-killers" even though they may not operate in teams with other platforms. In the United States Navy and Canadian Navy such submarine types are given the hull classification symbol "SSK".
Hollywood:
- In the Terminator saga, Hunter Killers were unmaned vehicles that were built in automated factories. There were two types that were viewed on all three of the terminator movies, which were the tank and the aerial versions. In most of the tactics which were used, these machines often led the way onto the front lines, and they were protected from Tech Com personnel by the T-800 and T-850 Terminator units.
The HK tanks were very effective when it came to taking the fight to the enemy, but because they were so huge they were vulnerable to Tech Com soldiers using detonators under their tracks. The HK Aerials were very effective too, except they were vulnerable if enemy rockets destroyed their turbo fan engines.
