The U.S. Navy confirmed February 4 that it performed four flight tests of the surface-to-air Standard Missile-6 Block I (SM-6 Blk I) off the Hawaiian coast between January 11 and 22.
These tests, designated Alpha, Bravo, Delta, and Golf, are part of the SM-6 Blk I Follow-on Operational Test and Evaluation (FOT&E) events planned to assess missile performance.
Capt. Michael Ladner , Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS), said: “These flight tests, once again, demonstrate the versatility and capability that the SM-6 provides for our Navy’s fleet defense. I’m extremely proud of our Standard Missile team for their hard work and efforts in achieving four more successful SM-6 missions. These tests mark the longest downrange and cross-range engagements of the SM-6 to date.”
The SM-6 provides an over-the-horizon engagement capability when launched from an Aegis warship and uses hardware and software missile technology to provide needed capabilities against evolving air threats.
Flight test Alpha was the longest downrange, and flight test Bravo was the longest cross-range intercepts with an SM-6 to date. Along with flight tests Alpha and Bravo, flight test Delta successfully intercepted two targets with simultaneous engagements, and flight test Golf successfully intercepted a target with electronic counter-measures.
The SM-6 is the sixth fielded variant of the Standard Missile family. The SM-6 program has completed development and achieved Initial Operational Capability in November 2013. It is currently in the FOT&E phase, with a projected Full Operational Capability declaration date during the first quarter of fiscal year 2018.