Raytheon [RTN] Sept. 9 said it won the first of several planned low rate initial production (LRIP) contracts to build Standard Missile-6 systems for the Navy.
“Standard Missile-6 has been on budget and on schedule since the program started in 2004,” Frank Wyatt, vice president of Raytheon’s Naval Weapon Systems, said in a statement. “LRIP clears the way for delivery to the warfighter of this integral weapon system.”
The $93 million contract includes the production of missiles and delivery of spare parts and missile containers. Delivery will begin in early 2011.
SM-6 will meet the Navy’s requirement for an extended-range anti-air warfare (AAW) missile. The system will provide a defensive capability against fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and anti-ship cruise missiles.
“When combined with future integrated fire control, SM-6 will provide the U.S. Navy with an extended battlespace capability against over-the-horizon AAW threats,” Wyatt said. “By taking full advantage of the Standard Missile family’s kinematics, SM-6 provides signal processing and superior guidance and control capabilities.”
SM-6 also allows the use of active and semi-active modes and advanced fuzing techniques.
The company said SM-6 has completed tests which validate the extended-range anti-air warfare missile’s airframe and autopilot performance.
“The technology that was proven in this test will provide the Navy with the weapon system it needs for outer and area defense to defeat current and future missile threats,” Louis Moncada, Raytheon Missile Systems’ director of the SM-6 program, said in a statement. “This control test vehicle launch is the fourth test of the SM-6 following two guided test vehicle launches in 2008 and the recent advanced area defense interceptor test in May.”
By performing a series of preprogrammed maneuvers, the SM-6 missile was pushed to the limits of its performance, allowing the Navy to gather vital simulation validation data, the company said.
SM-6 takes full advantage of the legacy Standard Missile airframe and propulsion elements, while incorporating advanced signal processing and guidance control capabilities of Raytheon’s Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile. This merger of these two proven technologies allows SM-6 to use both active and semiactive modes.