Raytheon's SM-3 IIA successful in ballistic missle defense test

Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Raytheon's Standard Missile-3 Block IIA variant anti-ballistic missile system completed a second round of successful tests for the U.S. Navy and Missile Defense Agency.

Crew members on the USS John Finn on Friday launched the SM-3 Block IIA missile to successfully destroy a a land-launched target that resembled a ballistics missile.

The target missile was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Kauai, Hawaii, and tracked using the AN/SPY-1 radar and Aegis Baseline 9.C2 weapon system. Sailors aboard the John Finn launched the SM-3 IIA upon acquiring and tracking the target.

"This was a superb accomplishment and key milestone for the SM-3 Block IIA return to flight," Lt. Gen. Sam Greaves, MDA director, said in a press release.

The SM-3 Block IIA missile system, being developed by the United States and Japan, is designed to combat missile threats outside the earth's atmosphere. It defends against short- to intermediate-range ballistic missile attacks, and is designed to operate as part of the AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense System.

This SM-3 Block IIA "kill vehicle" uses the velocity of a 10-ton truck traveling 600 mph. Known as "hit-to-kill," this technique looks like a bullet colliding with another bullet.

The European missile defense system uses the SM-3 Block IIA solution, and Poland plans to deploy the system to complete Phase 3 of the European Phased Adaptive Approach.

"This second intercept for the SM-3 Block IIA is a success we share with the Missile Defense Agency and the country of Japan, our cooperative development partners," Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, president of Raytheon Missile Systems, said in a press release. "Together, we are building the most advanced solutions for ballistic missile defense."

This latest successful test follows a failed SM-3 Block IIA test in 2017.