By Geoff Fein
Raytheon [RTN] conducted the fourth successful flight test of its Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) as the company readies to take its anti-cruise missile weapon to sea later this year, a company official said last week.
Dubbed the Extended range Air Defense Missile, the SM-6 is being developed to target long-range cruise missiles, Dan Lambert, senior manager business development naval weapons systems, told Defense Daily at the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium in Arlington, Va.
The SM-6 uses the same propulsion stack as the SM-3 MK 72 booster, and the two SMs share the MK 104 dual thrust rocket motor.
Both the Mk 72 and Mk 104 are built by Aerojet [GY].
The SM-6 also carries a semi-active and active seeker, Lambert added.
Once the SM-6 switches into the active mode, it can acquire a target on its own. “We’ve proven that four out of four times,” Lambert noted.
Additionally, the program is on cost and on schedule, he added.
The four tests were conducted at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
No firm date has been set for when the SM-6 will go to sea testing, Lambert said.
The SM-6 is currently in low-rate initial production (LRIP). The fiscal year LRIP contract called for 19 missiles, he added.
Initial operational capability is slated for the end of FY ’11 and full-rate production, of approximately 120 missiles, is slated for FY ’12, Lambert said.
The Navy plans to deploy SM-6s from both DDG-51 destroyers and CG -47 cruisers.