Raytheon has received a $745.4 million award from the US Missile Defense Agency to produce and assemble SM-3 Block IIA interceptors for American and Japanese forces. The work will be carried out at facilities in Tucson, Arizona, and Huntsville, Alabama, with the contract scheduled to run through February 28, 2031. The Standard Missile-3 is designed to intercept ballistic missiles during the midcourse portion of flight using a hit-to-kill approach. The system can operate from Aegis Ashore sites on land and Mk 41 vertical launch cells aboard Aegis-equipped naval vessels. The US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are among the platforms using the Aegis architecture. Japan is preparing two Aegis System Equipped Vessels for service in 2027 and 2028. Block IIA was jointly developed by the United States and Japan, with Raytheon and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries among the industrial partners. Larger rocket motors and a larger kinetic warhead distinguish the variant and support broader defensive coverage against more sophisticated ballistic missile threats.
