Raytheon's Standard Missile-3 Block IB Deployed by Navy

The second-generation Standard Missile-3 Block IB manufactured by defense contractor Raytheon has been deployed by the Navy in partnership with the Missile Defense Agency. This action marks the second phase of the Phased Adaptive Approach.

“The SM-3 Block IB’s completion of initial operational testing last year set the stage for a rapid deployment to theater,” said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, president of Raytheon Missile Systems. “The SM-3’s highly successful test performance gives combatant commanders around the world the confidence they need to counter the growing ballistic missile threat.”

As a press release notes, in 2009 the United States said it would adopt a more flexible approach to missile defense in the U.S. and Europe. The first phase of the Phased Adaptive Approach started in March 2011 when the USS Monterey deployed carrying SM-3 Block IAs.

In 2009, the administration announced the U.S.’s decision to adopt a new, more flexible approach to missile defense of both the U.S. and Europe. The Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) Phase 1 began in March 2011 when the USS Monterey deployed carrying SM-3 Block IAs.

“The SM-3 program’s evolution speaks to the importance of harnessing past successes to deliver increasingly capable systems to our customers, while reducing costs and delivery timelines,” said Dr. Mitch Stevison, Raytheon’s Standard Missile-3 program director.

SM-3s destroy incoming ballistic missile threats in space using nothing more than sheer impact, which is equivalent to a 10-ton truck traveling at 600 mph, the press release states.