SM-6 Dual II AD Missile Intercepts MRBM Target
SM-6 Dual II long-range air defence missile intercepted Northrop Grumman’s MRBM T3c2 target missile during MDA’s firing test for the AEGIS system.
Northrop’s MRBM T3c2 represents a modern ballistic missile threat to evaluate the performance of the air defence system against MRBM threats.
In this test, the SM-6 Dual II missile developed to provide terminal defence against ballistic missiles was evaluated. Almost exactly a year ago, SM-6 Dual II intercepted an MRBM target of another type.
Featuring software upgrades for targeting, SM-6 Dual-II can intercept small and fast targets like the re-entry vehicles of MRBMs.
SM-6 is a further development of the Standard Missile family, incorporating an active radar seeker booster and a more advanced datalink compared to the latest variants of SM-2 missile. Thanks to an improved datalink and guidance package, the missile is currently the longest-reaching anti-air missile in the U.S. Navy inventory, with an official range of 240 km.
Raytheon is developing a new variant of the SM-6 Block 1B missile, which will replace the rocket motor with a larger 21-inch one.
A similar upgrade has been applied to the exo-atmospheric SM-3 anti-ballistic missile, which shares the first two propulsion stages. The increase in range was enough to counter some types of ICBMs.
