_SM-3_start.jpg/2000px-USS_Lake_Erie_(CG-70)_SM-3_start.jpg)
Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
RIM-161 Standard Missile 3
The RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) is a ship-based surface-to-air missile used by the United States Navy to intercept ballistic missiles as a part of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. With the Block IIA's range of 1,200 km, the SM-3 is the second longest-ranged anti-ballistic of the US Missile Defense Agency, behind the Ground-Based Interceptor. The SM-3 has also been employed in an anti-satellite capacity against a satellite at the lower end of low Earth orbit. The SM-3 is primarily used and tested by the United States Navy and also operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
All SM-3 variants are manufactured by Raytheon and Aerojet, while the Block IIA is developed jointly with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Target acquisition is provided by the ship's AN/SPY-1 radar, and the missile carries the Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile warhead.
In 2008, the US military destroyed its satellite USA-193, at an altitude of 247 kilometers, by firing an SM-3 from the USS Lake Erie near Hawaii, codenamed Operation Burnt Frost. The use of the missile was believed to be an anti-satellite weapon test in response to a similar 2007 test by China.
The SM-3 was first used in combat, during the April 2024 Iranian strikes against Israel, when four to seven SM-3s were fired, to intercept at least six Iranian ballistic missiles. The SM-3 was later used in the 2026 Iran war to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles in Turkish airspace.
The SM-3 evolved from the proven SM-2 Block IV design. The SM-3 uses the same solid rocket booster and dual thrust rocket motor as the Block IV missile for the first and second stages and the same steering control section and midcourse missile guidance for maneuvering in the atmosphere. To support the extended range of an exo-atmospheric intercept, additional missile thrust is provided in a new third stage for the SM-3 missile, containing a dual pulse rocket motor for the early exo-atmospheric phase of flight.
Initial work was done to adapt SM-3 for land deployment ("Aegis ashore") to especially accommodate the Israelis, but they then chose to pursue a separate Israeli-US system, the Arrow 3. A group in the Obama administration envisioned a European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) and SM-3 was chosen as the main vector of this effort because the competing U.S. THAAD does not have enough range and would have required too many sites in Europe to provide adequate coverage. Compared to the GMD's Ground-Based Interceptor however, the SM-3 Block I has about 1⁄5 to 1⁄6 of the range. A significant improvement in this respect, the SM-3 Block II variant widens the missile's diameter from 0.34 to 0.53 m (13 to 21 in), making it more suitable against intermediate-range ballistic missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The highly modified Block IIA missile shares only the first-stage motor with the Block I. The Block IIA was "designed to allow for Japan to protect against a North Korean attack with fewer deployed ships" but it is also the key element of the EPAA phase 3 deployment in Europe. The Block IIA is being jointly developed by Raytheon and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; the latter manages "the third-stage rocket motor and nose cone". The U.S. budgeted cost to date is $1.51 billion for the Block IIA.
On 15 October 2024, RTX announced that the SM-3 Block IIA entered full-rate production.
Hub AI
RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 AI simulator
(@RIM-161 Standard Missile 3_simulator)
RIM-161 Standard Missile 3
The RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) is a ship-based surface-to-air missile used by the United States Navy to intercept ballistic missiles as a part of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. With the Block IIA's range of 1,200 km, the SM-3 is the second longest-ranged anti-ballistic of the US Missile Defense Agency, behind the Ground-Based Interceptor. The SM-3 has also been employed in an anti-satellite capacity against a satellite at the lower end of low Earth orbit. The SM-3 is primarily used and tested by the United States Navy and also operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
All SM-3 variants are manufactured by Raytheon and Aerojet, while the Block IIA is developed jointly with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Target acquisition is provided by the ship's AN/SPY-1 radar, and the missile carries the Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile warhead.
In 2008, the US military destroyed its satellite USA-193, at an altitude of 247 kilometers, by firing an SM-3 from the USS Lake Erie near Hawaii, codenamed Operation Burnt Frost. The use of the missile was believed to be an anti-satellite weapon test in response to a similar 2007 test by China.
The SM-3 was first used in combat, during the April 2024 Iranian strikes against Israel, when four to seven SM-3s were fired, to intercept at least six Iranian ballistic missiles. The SM-3 was later used in the 2026 Iran war to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles in Turkish airspace.
The SM-3 evolved from the proven SM-2 Block IV design. The SM-3 uses the same solid rocket booster and dual thrust rocket motor as the Block IV missile for the first and second stages and the same steering control section and midcourse missile guidance for maneuvering in the atmosphere. To support the extended range of an exo-atmospheric intercept, additional missile thrust is provided in a new third stage for the SM-3 missile, containing a dual pulse rocket motor for the early exo-atmospheric phase of flight.
Initial work was done to adapt SM-3 for land deployment ("Aegis ashore") to especially accommodate the Israelis, but they then chose to pursue a separate Israeli-US system, the Arrow 3. A group in the Obama administration envisioned a European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) and SM-3 was chosen as the main vector of this effort because the competing U.S. THAAD does not have enough range and would have required too many sites in Europe to provide adequate coverage. Compared to the GMD's Ground-Based Interceptor however, the SM-3 Block I has about 1⁄5 to 1⁄6 of the range. A significant improvement in this respect, the SM-3 Block II variant widens the missile's diameter from 0.34 to 0.53 m (13 to 21 in), making it more suitable against intermediate-range ballistic missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The highly modified Block IIA missile shares only the first-stage motor with the Block I. The Block IIA was "designed to allow for Japan to protect against a North Korean attack with fewer deployed ships" but it is also the key element of the EPAA phase 3 deployment in Europe. The Block IIA is being jointly developed by Raytheon and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; the latter manages "the third-stage rocket motor and nose cone". The U.S. budgeted cost to date is $1.51 billion for the Block IIA.
On 15 October 2024, RTX announced that the SM-3 Block IIA entered full-rate production.