Australia’s SM-2 land trial could reshape ADF medium-range air defence plans
A Royal Australian Navy Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) is fired from the Derringer trailer-mounted Expeditionary Launch System during Taipan Strike 26. (Photo: Australian Department of Defence)
The first ground launch of the SM-2 could offer Canberra a path to expand its missile defence capability by adapting systems already fielded across the ADF.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has successfully trialled a ground-launched Standard SM-2 naval air defence missile as an unexpected “candidate option” for a future ground-based medium-range air defence solution. The live-firing, which took place last month at Australia’s Woomera Range, saw the SM-2 destroy a BGM-74E cruise missile target during Exercise Taipan Strike 26.
This is the first use of the RIM-66 Standard SM-2 in the ground role, though the closely related SM-3 missile is used along with Aegis in Aegis Ashore installations in Romania, Poland and Japan.
The demonstration comes as Australia seeks to accelerate its Integrated Air and
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