The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Raytheon Missile Systems a $113 million contract to perform work on the Standard Missile in use by the U.S. and other ally navies.
Under the contract, Raytheon will be performing engineering and technical services on Standard Missile 2, 3, and 6 for fiscal years 2017 through 2021.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, these services include research and development efforts, design, systems and production engineering, technical services, evaluation services, component improvement services and production proofing services for missile producibility, missile production and shipboard integration.
This contract also includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $466 million.
The Standard Missile family is a U.S.-developed group of surface-to-air air defense guided missiles composed of the SM-2, SM-3 and SM-6. Launched from the Mark 41 vertical launcher system (VLS), it is an integral part of the AEGIS Weapon System (AWS) aboard Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
The SM-2 uses tail controls and a solid fuel rocket motor for propulsion and maneuverability. All variants are guided by inertial navigation and mid-course commands from AWS using semi-active radar or an infrared (IR) sensor for terminal homing.
Extended Range Active Missile (SM-6) provides an air defense force multiplier to the U.S. Navy. SM-6 combines a modified advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) active seeker onto the Standard Missile airframe.