Raytheon's SM-6 enters full-rate production
Raytheon's Standard Missile-6 surface-to-air supersonic missile programme has moved from low-rate to full-rate production, the company has announced, with the first full-rate production round delivered to the US Navy from Raytheon's SM-6 and SM-3 all-up-round production facility in Huntsville, Alabama.
The move to full-rate production will clear the way for significantly increased production numbers and a focus on further cost-reduction opportunities, the company said.
The SM-6 can engage unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. It can also defend against land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles in flight.
The company has delivered more than 180 missiles to the navy, which deployed SM-6 for the first time in December 2013.
Mike Campisi, SM-6 senior programme director, Raytheon, said: 'SM-6 is proven against a broad range of advanced threats, which makes it very valuable to combatant commanders who need and want that flexibility.
'Full-rate production allows us to significantly ramp up production and deliver to the US navy the quantities it needs to further increase operational effectiveness.'
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Navantia combat systems selected for Chinese-built Thai LPD]()
Navantia combat systems selected for Chinese-built Thai LPD
The landing platform dock, believed to be the largest naval vessel that China has exported, will see the Chinese-built vessel embrace Western technology.
-
![Singapore to add two more submarines to fleet as it hikes defence spending]()
Singapore to add two more submarines to fleet as it hikes defence spending
Singapore’s army and navy look set to benefit from increases in the country’s defence budget, with submarines and IFVs on the shopping list.
-
![How will NATO’s Baltic Sentry work to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea?]()
How will NATO’s Baltic Sentry work to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea?
The rise in incidents of damage to subsea cabling in the Baltic Seahas driven NATO to commit to bolstering the action of local navies. But how effective can it be?
-
![GAO recommends better oversight of support for shipyards in the face of capacity concerns]()
GAO recommends better oversight of support for shipyards in the face of capacity concerns
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) believes the US industrial base will struggle to meet US Navy (USN) requirements. This follows recent warnings from USN heads of a decline in resources and that the industrial base is under strain.
-
![Lockheed Martin wins three new DoD naval contracts including on Littoral Combat Ships]()
Lockheed Martin wins three new DoD naval contracts including on Littoral Combat Ships
Lockheed Martin has won contracts and contract modifications on systems and platforms ranging from missile systems and naval helicopters to Littoral Combat Ships.
