SM-6 Missiles Are America’s Only Defense Against Hypersonic Weapons Missile Defense Chief Says
The head of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency says SM-6 missiles have a ‘nascent capability’ against hypersonic threats.
The head of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency says SM-6 missiles have a ‘nascent capability’ against hypersonic threats.
The ships are slated to join the Navy’s experimental surface warfare squadron which is exploring ways to incorporate unmanned vessels into the fleet.
The Army will field ground-launched SM-6s and Tomahawk cruise missiles using a launcher that the Navy has also tested on an unmanned boat.
Adding modular weapons launchers to the Navy’s experimental unmanned vessels will allow the service to explore new distributed warfare concepts.
New details about plans to establish an Aegis Ashore site on Guam underscore the threats that the system itself could face in a major conflict.
The live-fire missile shoot was part of a larger drone-focused experiment that also included swarming technology and various unmanned platforms.
The new version of the SM-6 missile that is currently under development will itself be able to reach hypersonic speeds.
Arming America’s fleet of fighting ships is an extremely expensive endeavor with missiles costing hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars each.
A ground-launched SM-6 could become one of the Army’s most versatile weapons. It will be primarily used in a strike role, but it could also potentially be employed in the surface-to-air mode.
The missile already has latent land and ship attack capabilities that could be swiftly adapted for the Army’s post-INF treaty needs.