Raytheon’s next-gen Standard Missile-3 in intercept test

The US Navy and Missile Defence Agency ( MDA) have completed the first successful intercept flight test of a Raytheon Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA, a defensive weapon designed to defeat short- to intermediate-range ballistic missile threats. Crew members on board the USS John Paul Jones (DDG-53) launched a SM-3 Block IIA, which successfully engaged and destroyed a land-launched target resembling an advanced ballistic missile threat.

The interceptor’s kinetic warhead has been enhanced to best address advanced and emerging threats, with improvements to the search, discrimination, acquisition and tracking functions. The kinetic warhead, along with larger rocket motors, allows SM-3 Block IIA to engage more sophisticated threats and protect larger regions from short- to intermediate-range ballistic missile threats, providing greater operational flexibility.