home News The U.S. will acquire more SM-3 missiles

The U.S. will acquire more SM-3 missiles

Aug 12, 2013

The SM-3 Block IB is based on the highly successful SM-3 Block IA, which is deployed around the world today in the U.S. and Japanese navies

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The U.S. will deploy more Standard Missile-3 Block IB missiles to bolster its missile defense capabilities. These missiles are to be deployed in defense of U.S. allies, including Israel, when threat is growing.

According to Space War, Raytheon was awarded a $218,530,196 contract by the Missile Defense Agency to complete the assembly and delivery of 29 Standard Missile-3 Block IB missiles.

Launched off U.S. Navy ships, SM-3 interceptors protect the U.S. and its allies by destroying incoming short, medium, and intermediate range ballistic missile threats by colliding with them in space.

“The three back-to-back successful SM-3 Block IB flight tests have demonstrated the missile’s advanced capabilities and reliability against various threats in a variety of mission scenarios,” said Dr. Taylor Lawrence, Raytheon Missile Systems president. “Combatant commanders around the world are eager to build up their inventories in support of Phase 2 of the Phased Adaptive Approach starting in 2015.”

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The Standard Missile-3 Block IB has an improved, two-color infrared seeker and an advanced system of guidance rockets that help steer the missile’s kill vehicle into the target’s path

A new version of the U.S. Navy’s Standard Missile-3 Block IB destroyed a complex, separating target high above the Pacific Ocean in May 2013. (Download High Res Photo)

Final assembly will take place in Raytheon’s new, state-of-the-art Redstone Missile Integration Facility in Huntsville, Ala. Guidance sections and guidance units will be built at the Raytheon Missile Systems Space Factory in Tucson, Ariz.

“The Redstone Missile Integration Facility will prove critical as we ramp up our manufacturing capacity on the path to SM-3 Block IB full-rate production,” said Dr. Mitch Stevison, Raytheon Missile Systems’ SM-3 program director.

The SM-3 does not contain an explosive warhead, but instead destroys the threats using sheer impact, equivalent to a 10-ton truck traveling at 600 mph.

More than 155 SM-3s have been delivered to U.S. and Japanese navies. Raytheon is on track to deploy the next-generation SM-3 Block IB guided missile in 2015. SM-3 Block IB will be deployed in both afloat and ashore weapons systems.

Israel and the U.S. have trained in deploying a joint force of Arrow and SM-3 missiles to protect Israel from ballistic missiles.