Jay Clemens
The U.S. Navy has fired two Raytheon-built guided missiles to intercept a medium-range ballistic missile target at sea during a recent test event.
Standard Missile-6 Dual I launched from the USS John Paul Jones during the demonstration and destroyed the target in its final seconds of flight, Raytheon said Monday.
“This test showcased the flexibility of SM-6 by providing both anti-air warfare and ballistic missile defense from sea,” said Taylor Lawrence, president of Raytheon’s missile systems business.
Lawrence added that the guide missile system will play a role to help protect U.S. and allied forces at sea and ashore with the use of its anti-surface warfare systems.
The SM-6 is the new sea-based terminal variant of Raytheon’s versatile missile portfolio and provides extended protection from fixed and rotary-wing aircraft threats for Navy vessels.
Raytheon shipped the first full-rate production SM-6 from the company’s Huntsville, Alabama-based production facility and the guided missile completed initial operating capability in 2016.
