Raytheon's Standard Missile-3 Is Revolutionizing Missile Defense

Raytheon Standard Missile-3

Raytheon’s Standard Missile-3 Is Revolutionizing Missile Defense Raytheon’s Standard Missile-3 is a defensive weapon used by U.S. and Japanese navies to destroy short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles. While the U.S. views SM-3™ as a regional missile defense capability, its high altitude and long range make it ideal for the defense of most nations. With more than 20 successful intercepts, including the widely publicized destruction of a failing satellite in 2008, the SM-3 is on the cutting edge of ballistic missile defense. The SM-3 Block IA, with more than 130 delivered, is deployed around the world today. In April of 2011, the U.S. Navy used a SM-3 Block IA to demonstrate an advanced capability called “launch on remote.” Using a cue from a forward-based, Raytheon-made TPY-2 radar, the SM-3 Block IA was launched from a U.S. Navy destroyer and successfully destroyed an intermediate‑range ballistic missile (IRBM). Many industry insiders called it a “graduation exercise” for the SM-3 Block IA because it fully demonstrated the missile’s ability to take out increasingly complex threats. Though the original customer requirement was for the SM-3 Block IA to take out short- and medium‑range ballistic missiles, Wes Kremer, Raytheon’s vice president of Air and Missile Defense Systems, knew it was within the SM-3 Block IA’s capability to take out an IRBM. According to Kremer, all of Raytheon’s SM-3s are built with “robustness” and “flexibility” to counter current and emerging threats around the world. “If we can launch on remote, that means we can take a threat out sooner, and sooner is better,” said Kremer. In conjunction with the U.S. Navy and Missile Defense Agency, Raytheon is actively testing an upgrade version, the SM-3 Block IB. This upgrade includes improvements to the kinetic warhead and diverts system to expand the threat set. It will be the first SM-3 variant to be both land­‑ and sea-based. An Aegis Ashore system is being built in Hawaii for flight testing of the SM-3. The first operational Aegis Ashore system is on track for a 2015 deployment

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Raytheon’s newest variant, the SM-3 Block IB, is launched from a U.S. Navy ship during 2012 testing.

in Romania, followed by an additional site in 2018 in Poland. Both sites are designed to further extend defensive coverage of Europe, but this concept could be deployed anywhere in the world. The SM-3 Block IIA program is a collaborative development with Japan. “We’re well under way with the SM-3 Block IIA. Our industry partners in Japan, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, are designing new 21-inch diameter 2nd and 3rd stage rocket motors. Raytheon is designing and developing a new kill vehicle with increased capability to keep pace with the threat. The SM-3 Block IIA program is a great example of global partnership,” Kremer said. Testing of this variant is on track to begin next year. SM-3 Block IIA is planned for afloat and ashore deployment.

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