Raytheon’s next-generation variant destroyed an intermediate-range ballistic missile target in a first-of-its-kind test from land.  On Dec. 10, a Raytheon-built Standard Missile-3 Block IIA interceptor destroyed an intermediate-range ballistic missile target in a U.S. Missile Defense Agency test.

The interceptor was fired from an Aegis Ashore combat system site in Hawaii. It was the first successful intercept by the IIA, a next-generation variant, that was launched from land and it was an “engage-on-remote” test, meaning the missile used data from a separate AN/TPY-2 radar rather than the phased-array connected to the Aegis Ashore system.

“This is a versatile and sophisticated missile,” said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, Raytheon Missile Systems president. “Our partnership with the Missile Defense Agency and Japanese industry made these results possible.”

The next-generation SM-3 will be carried by U.S. Navy and Japanese ships and will be based at the Aegis Ashore land site in Poland, once it becomes operational. The Poland site, along with an already active Aegis Ashore site in Romania, will provide missile defense protection for Europe, according to the Missile Defense Agency.

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