Boeing Delivers 1st Standard Missile-3 Kinetic Warhead Kit Built in Huntsville
Boeing last month delivered on schedule the first production Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) kinetic warhead kit built in Huntsville, Ala. The delivery came almost one year to the day after Boeing’s announcement that it would transfer its missile defense production work from Anaheim, Calif., to Huntsville.
The placement of the SM-3 production work in Huntsville expands production capability and co-locates Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense production with similar missile defense activities. Boeing received approval from the Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Navy to begin SM-3 kinetic warhead production in the newly reconfigured Huntsville facility following a successful mission readiness review in June 2008.
Aegis SM-3, deployed on Aegis cruisers and destroyers, defends with hit-to-kill accuracy against short- to medium-range ballistic missile threats.
Boeing has partnered with Raytheon on Aegis SM-3 development since 1996 and is under subcontract to integrate and test the kinetic warhead avionics, guidance and control hardware and software, as well as the ejection subsystem.