- Raytheon (RTX) won a contract worth up to $24.4bn over five years, with two option years, to produce SM-6 missiles for the US Navy
- The award supports US efforts to rebuild and expand key munitions stockpiles and sustain a steady SM-6 supply
- Raytheon says it is increasing capacity through investment, workforce growth and production automation
Raytheon, an RTX business, has secured a five-year contract, with two additional option years, valued up to $24.4bn for Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) interceptors, as the US looks to increase stockpiles of key munitions in its inventory.
Building on other agreements between Raytheon and the US Department of War, this long-term order ensures a consistent, reliable supply of SM-6s for the US Navy, stated Raytheon in a 1 October release.
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“SM-6’s multi-mission capability is vital to our customer, and Raytheon is intensely focused on meeting the demand,” said Raytheon president Phil Jasper.
“By continuously investing in our operations and facilities, we are removing constraints and boosting capacity to ensure we deliver this critical capability our sailors depend on.”
The company stated that it has invested heavily to “keep pace with rising demand”, growing its workforce and automating some production.
These efforts were intended to “support significantly higher output” for near- and long-term needs.
Designed to offer anti-air and ballistic missile defence capability for the US Navy, the SM-6 also has an anti-surface warfare functionality, recently used in the SINKEX exercise off the coast of the UK.
The SM-6 is able to operate at ranges in excess of 200 nautical miles (370+ km), reaching speeds of over Mach 3.5, and is equipped with a 64 kg (140 lb) blast-fragmentation warhead.
