Final SM-6 Blk 1A flight test completed, at-sea testing to begin in the fall
NewsJune 19, 2017
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, New Mexico. U.S Navy officials completed the test of the surface-to-air Standard Missile-6 Block IA (SM-6 Blk IA) at the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico early this month.
This test demonstrated SM-6 Blk IA’s improved capabilities and integration with the Aegis weapon system. The event was the third of three required flight tests successfully executed at WSMR.
At-sea testing of the missile is planned to start in the fall of 2017, while Initial Operational Capability (IOC) will begin at the end of 2018.
“This final land test is a critical milestone which demonstrates Blk IA’s improved capability,” says Capt. John Keegan, Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS) major program manager for surface ship weapons. “I am very proud of the entire test team for their extensive planning and technical rigor that went into execution of this event.”
PEO IWS is an affiliated program executive office of Naval Sea Systems Command. PEO IWS is responsible for spearheading surface ship and submarine combat technologies and systems, and for implementing Navy enterprise solutions across ship platforms.
Read more on missile defense:
Missile Defense Agency rounds out ballistic-missile interceptor plan
Missile defense test successfully intercepts ICBM target
Raytheon awarded up to $600 million for missile-defense modernization program
