Raytheon has secured a contract valued at up to $24.4 billion to produce the multi-mission Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) interceptors for the US Navy.
The five-year contract, with two additional option years, builds on a landmark deal in February between the RTX company and the Pentagon to expand SM-6 annual output to more than 500.
According to Raytheon President Phil Jasper, the company is “continuously investing in our operations and facilities … removing constraints and boosting capacity to ensure we deliver this critical capability our sailors depend on.”
‘Three Missiles in One’
Raytheon described the SM-6 as the “only combat-proven weapon” designed as “three missiles in one,” as it can take on ballistic missile defense, anti-air warfare, and anti-surface warfare roles.
Measuring 21.6 feet (6.6 meters) with a 3.6-foot (1.1-meter) wingspan, the 3,300-pound (1,497-kilogram) missile can achieve speeds of Mach 3.5 (2,664 miles/4,288 kilometers per hour) and a range of 230 miles (370 kilometers).
The SM-6 can be launched from several US Navy surface combatants, such as Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers.
It can also be fired from the US Army’s Typhon Mid-Range Capability system and from the US Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft.