U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command awarded Raytheon Company a $422 million production contract for Standard Missile-2 Block IIIA and Block IIIB missiles. Raytheon will provide SM-2 missiles to the U.S. Navy, Taiwan, the Republic of Korea and Japan.
The SM-2 employs dual-mode infrared and radio frequency guidance to defeat target countermeasures. The SM-2 has demonstrated success against supersonic, sea-skimming missiles during high-G (gravity force) maneuvers.
SM-2 has been the U.S. Navy’s primary surface-to-air fleet defense weapon for more than three decades. It is capable of engaging anti-ship cruise missiles, fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. The latest versions of the missile feature improved guidance software.
