Raytheon-made SM-3 missile finds ballistic target
The US Navy has conducted a Missile Defense Agency test that saw two Standard Missile-3 Block IBs consecutively launched from the USS Lake Erie against a complex, separating short-range ballistic missile target.
According to Raytheon, the first guided missile successfully destroyed the target using the sheer kinetic force of a massive collision in space.
The second SM-3 was designed to test the ship weapons system's ability to launch multiple missiles at one time against a threat. An intercept for the second SM-3 was not part of the test scenario.
Taylor Lawrence, president, Raytheon Missile Systems, said: ‘Confidence in the SM-3 Block IB's defensive capability continues to grow with each flight test. When this weapon deploys in 2015, the US and our allies will have a tremendously reliable, capable defensive asset on their side.’
Mitch Stevison, Raytheon Missile Systems' SM-3 program director, added: ‘We're gaining a tremendous amount of information about what this missile can do, and in many instances it is far surpassing design requirements. The SM-3 Block IB is proving it can take on increasingly sophisticated scenarios, and that kind of confidence sets the stage for a production decision.’
The SM-3 is a defensive weapon used by the US and Japan to defend against short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
Based on the SM-3 Block IA, the SM-3 Block IB incorporates an enhanced two-colour infrared seeker and the Throttleable Divert and Attitude Control System, a mechanism that propels the missile toward incoming targets.
More than 155 SM-3s have been delivered to the US and Japanese navies, and Raytheon is on track to deliver the next-generation SM-3 Block IB in 2015. SM-3 Block IB will be deployed in both sea-based and land-based modes.
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.
-
![Why USNORTHCOM would struggle to defeat China in the Arctic]()
Why USNORTHCOM would struggle to defeat China in the Arctic
Not having enough naval and C4ISR capabilities to patrol and monitor the region would the US at risk in a conflict with China in the Arctic region.
-
![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.
