The Missile Defense Agency has awarded a $925 million contract to Raytheon for continued development of the Standard Missile-3 Block IIA missile, which is a co-development effort between the U.S. and Japan. The company said in a statement the SM-3 IIA is on track for deployment in 2018. This advanced missile is one of several variants of the Standard Missile SM-3 ballistic missile interceptor and SM-6 naval air defense missile, to be assembled at Raytheon’s Missile Integration Facility at the Redstone Arsenal industrial mix in Alabama later this year.
“As the threat continues to evolve, so does our ability to counter that threat,” said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, president of Raytheon Missile Systems. “We’re honored to work with our Japanese allies to bring this next-generation defensive capability to the world.”
Used by the U.S. and Japanese navies to destroy short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles, the SM-3 is the only defensive weapon of its kind, according to the company. The SM-3 Block IIA will have a 21-inch second- and third-stage rocket motor and a larger, more capable kinetic “hit-to-kill” warhead. The SM-3 Block IIA marks the third evolution of the SM-3 family and builds on the legacy of the first two variants: the SM-3 Block IA and SM-3 Block IB.
The SM-3 Block IA, built in Camden, Ark., is now used aboard Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense ships and Japan’s Kongo-class ships. The system is part of the Missile Defense Agency’s overall “layered” ballistic missile defense program, which uses land, sea and space-based sensors and radars to detect an enemy’s ballistic missile launch, track the threat and then fire missiles to hit and destroy it.
