US Navy launches two Raytheon-made SM-3 missiles against single ballistic missile target

Scenario designed to test ship's ability to launch SM-3s

News Release from PACIFIC MISSILE RANGE FACILITY, KAUAI, Hawaii, Sept. 18, 2013

In a Missile Defense Agency test, the U.S. Navy launched two Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN)-made Standard Missile-3 Block IBs from the USS Lake Erie against a complex, separating short-range ballistic missile target. The first guided missile successfully destroyed the target using the sheer kinetic force of a massive collision in space.

The SM-3 is a defensive weapon used by the U.S. and Japan to defend against short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles. 

"Confidence in the SM-3 Block IB's defensive capability continues to grow with each flight test," said Dr. Taylor Lawrence, Raytheon Missile Systems president. "When this weapon deploys in 2015, the U.S. and our allies will have a tremendously reliable, capable defensive asset on their side."

During the test, two SM-3 interceptors were launched at a single target consecutively. The first SM-3 eliminated the target. The second SM-3 was designed to test the ship weapons system's ability to launch multiple missiles at one time against a threat. An intercept for the second SM-3 was not part of the test scenario.

"We're gaining a tremendous amount of information about what this missile can do, and in many instances it is far surpassing design requirements," said Dr. Mitch Stevison, Raytheon Missile Systems' SM-3 program director. "The SM-3 Block IB is proving it can take on increasingly sophisticated scenarios, and that kind of confidence sets the stage for a production decision."

The test was the 25th successful flight test for the SM-3 program and the fourth back-to-back successful test of the next-generation SM-3 Block IB variant. Based on the highly successful SM-3 Block IA currently deployed around the world today, the SM-3 Block IB incorporates an enhanced two-color infrared seeker and the Throttleable Divert and Attitude Control System, a mechanism that propels the missile toward incoming targets.

For more specifics on the test scenario, visit www.mda.mil.

About the Standard Missile-3

SM-3s destroy incoming ballistic missile threats by colliding with them, a concept sometimes described as "hitting a bullet with a bullet." The impact is the equivalent of a 10-ton truck traveling at 600 mph.

More than 155 SM-3s have been delivered to the U.S. and Japanese navies.

Raytheon is on track to deliver the next-generation SM-3 Block IB in 2015.

SM-3 Block IB will be deployed in both sea-based and land-based modes.

About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2012 sales of $24 billion and 68,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 91 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems; as well as a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @Raytheon.

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Lockheed Martin's Second Generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System Successfully Intercepts Most Sophisticated Target To Date

News Release from Lockheed Martin KAUAI, Hawaii, Sept. 18, 2013

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], the Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Navy successfully demonstrated, on the first attempt, the second generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Weapon System's capability to engage a sophisticated, separating short range ballistic missile target with two Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IB guided missiles that were fired and guided to intercept nearly simultaneously.

The test, known as Flight Test - Standard Missile-21 (FTM-21), was an operational test for Aegis BMD and SM-3 Block IB guided missile to engage and defeat a ballistic missile threat. FTM-21 marked the tenth time the USS Lake Erie (CG 70) and crew have successfully performed in Navy and Missile Defense Agency at-sea test events against cruise and ballistic missile targets using the second generation of the Aegis BMD configuration.

"This latest test is the first time we have seen USS Lake Erie, sailors, and Aegis BMD Weapon System schedule, analyze, launch and control multiple missiles in flight through intercept at the same time," said Nick Bucci, Director of BMD Development Programs at Lockheed Martin's Mission Systems & Training business. "The Aegis BMD 4.0.2 configuration provides the Navy with the ability to respond to ever increasing and evolving ballistic missile threats around the world with persistent and reliable capabilities."

The central component of the Lockheed Martin-developed Aegis BMD Combat System is the SPY-1 radar, the most widely fielded naval phased array radar in the world. The Aegis system and SPY-1 radar provide the U.S. and allied nations with advanced surveillance, anti-air warfare and missile defense capabilities. The Missile Defense Agency and Navy are jointly developing Aegis BMD as part of the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense System. Currently, 27 Aegis BMD-equipped warships have the certified capability to engage ballistic missiles and perform long-range surveillance and tracking missions, as well as an additional four ships in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. The U.S. Navy plans to procure seven new Aegis BMD-equipped destroyers, and has also planned to develop two Aegis Ashore systems to perform ballistic missile defense.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 116,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services. The Corporation's net sales for 2012 were $47.2 billion.

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