US Navy expands SM-6 missile deployment
The US Navy has authorised ships in the Aegis Combat Weapon System baselines 5.3 and 3.A.0 series to carry the Raytheon Standard Missile-6 (SM-6), the company announced on 14 January. The authorisation has expanded the missile’s use from five ships to over 35 ships.
Mike Campisi, senior programme director, SM-6, said: ‘SM-6 is the longest range integrated air and missile defence interceptor deployed, and its multi-role capabilities are unprecedented. Its use is transforming how we define fleet defence.’
SM-6 is a surface-to-air supersonic missile capable of successfully engaging manned and unmanned aerial vehicles and fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. Further, it defends against land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles in flight.
Final assembly takes place at Raytheon’s SM-6 and SM-3 all-up-round production facility at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Eurosatory 2026: Schiebel’s frigate-first strategy indicates a shift in UAV competition]()
Eurosatory 2026: Schiebel’s frigate-first strategy indicates a shift in UAV competition
Schiebel is pursuing opportunities in the UK and France while leveraging its integration with Naval Group’s FDI frigate programme to create new naval business across Europe.
-
![US weighs offshore warship production due to industrial limits]()
US weighs offshore warship production due to industrial limits
A Pentagon push to procure warships from Japanese and South Korean shipyards could reshape allied naval industrial strategy, but critics warn the approach risks hollowing out the domestic base Washington is seeking to restore.
-
![Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA]()
Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA
The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.
