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.'