SM-6
is a surface-to-air supersonic missile capable of successfully engaging
manned and unmanned aerial vehicles and fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
It also defends against land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles in
flight.
"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," said Mike Campisi, Standard Missile-6 senior
program director. "Full-rate production allows us to significantly
ramp up production and deliver to the U.S. Navy the quantities it needs
to further increase operational effectiveness."
The first full-rate production round was delivered to the U.S. Navy
from Raytheon's state-of-the-art SM-6 and SM-3 all-up-round production
facility at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala. Prior to final assembly,
a majority of the SM-6's section level assembly and testing development
took place at Raytheon's subsystem center factory in Tucson, Ariz.
Raytheon has delivered more than 180 missiles to the U.S. Navy, which
deployed SM-6 for the first time in December 2013.
About the Standard Missile-6
SM-6 delivers a proven over-the-horizon air defense capability by leveraging
the time-tested advantages of the Standard Missile's airframe and propulsion
-- The SM-6 uses both active and semiactive guidance modes and advanced
fuzing techniques.
-- It incorporates the advanced signal processing and guidance control
capabilities from Raytheon's Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile. |