The U.S. Navy’s USS Desert Ship (LLS-1) crew fired a Raytheon Company Standard Missile-6 at a medium-range supersonic target, successfully engaging the simulated ‘over-the-horizon’ threat.
This mission was the next in a test series for Naval Integrated Fire Control – Counter Air (NIFC-CA), a program designed to link U.S. Navy ships and airborne sensors into a single network.
During over-the-horizon test scenarios, the shooting ship uses information from off-board sensors – other ships or airborne sensors – to support launching the missile and engaging the target.
The SM-6 provides U.S. Navy vessels extended range protection against fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles as part of the NIFC-CA mission area.
In May 2015, Raytheon delivered the first full-rate production SM-6 from its $75-million, 70,000-square-foot SM-6 and Standard Missile-3 all-up-round production facility at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala. SM-6 full-rate production is funded through a PEO IWS Surface Ship Weapons firm fixed-price contract.
Image: US Navy