The U.S. Navy authorized ships in the Aegis Combat Weapon System baselines 5.3 and 3.A.0 series to carry the Raytheon Company Standard Missile-6. The authorization expands the missile’s use from five ships to more than 35 ships.
“SM-6 is the longest range integrated air and missile defense interceptor deployed, and its multi-role capabilities are unprecedented,” said Mike Campisi, Standard Missile-6 senior program director. “Its use is transforming how we define fleet defense.”
Raytheon has delivered more than 130 missiles to the U.S. Navy, which deployed SM-6 for the first time in December 2013.
SM-6 is a surface-to-air supersonic missile capable of successfully engaging manned and unmanned aerial vehicles and fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. It also defends against land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles in flight.
Final assembly takes place at Raytheon’s state-of-the-art SM-6 and SM-3 all-up-round production facility at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala.
About the Standard Missile-6 SM-6 delivers a proven over-the-horizon air defense capability by leveraging the time-tested advantages of the Standard Missile’s airframe and propulsion.
The SM-6 uses both active and semiactive guidance modes and advanced fuzing techniques. It incorporates the advanced signal processing and guidance control capabilities from Raytheon’s Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile.
Press Release