Raytheon awarded Navy missile contract

Raytheon has been awarded a US Navy contract with a potential total value of $424 million, if all options are exercised, for engineering and manufacturing to further develop Standard Missile-3 (SM-3).

Raytheon will complete development of Block IA and continue Block IB development, leading to sea-based missile defence deployment. Initial funding of $96 million has been issued to support engineering services, engineering studies and technology development technical instruction efforts.

The SM-3 Block IA provides an incremental upgrade to improve the missile's reliability and performance at a reduced cost. Block IB incorporates into the kinetic warhead an advanced two-colour infrared seeker and a throttling divert and attitude control system providing additional capability against evolving threats.

SM-3 has transitioned from engineering development to manufacture and is being built along with production SM-2s in Raytheon Missile Systems' factories in Tucson, Arizona and Camden, Arkansas. The SM-3 kinetic warhead (KW) is built and tested at a kill vehicle manufacturing facility in Tucson.