The SM-3 is a defensive weapon used by the U.S. Navy to destroy short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles. The SM-3 destroys incoming ballistic missile threats by colliding with them, a concept sometimes described as “hitting a bullet with a bullet.” The impact is the equivalent of a 10-ton truck traveling at 600 mph.

In a recent test, a key component of SM-3, the “dual-band datalink,” successfully exchanged information with a Dutch X-band radar, moving the company one step closer to proving that European ships with this radar can employ SM-3s to defend the continent against ballistic missiles.

The SM-3 program is a critical piece of the United States’ Phased Adaptive Approach for missile defense.
 

SM-3 infographic and desktop wallpaper:

RMS Product SM-3 Infographic Icon RMS Product SM-3 Screen Saver
Infographic:
The Evolution of
Standard Missile 3
1920 x 1080
2048 x 1536

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Facts about the SM-3 program:

  • More than 130 SM-3s have been delivered to U.S. and Japanese navies ahead of schedule and under cost.
  • Raytheon is on track to deliver the next-generation SM-3 Block IB in 2015.
  • SM-3 Block IB will be deployed in both sea-based and land-based modes.

The improved SM-3 Block IB has:

  • A Throttleable Divert and Attitude Control System, also known as the TDACS.
    • Uses short bursts of precision propulsion to steer the missile toward incoming targets
  • An enhanced, two-color infrared seeker


Product Line: Air & Missile Defense

 

 

 

 

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