For the third time this year, a Raytheon Company STANDARD Missile-
3 (SM-3) destroyed a ballistic missile target in space during a Nov. 21
Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and U.S. Navy sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile
Defense (BMD) element flight test off the Hawaii coast.

This was a more stressing test of the system than in the previous
interceptions, requiring missile launch during the target’s ascent phase
(prior to apogee). SM-3 successfully demonstrated aimpoint shift control and
guidance during the test, by impacting the target as predicted.

This test, designated Flight Mission-4 (FM-4), is the seventh consecutive
successful missile defense test for Raytheon’s sea-based and ground-based
midcourse programs in the past 16 months, continuing to demonstrate Raytheon’s
“hit-to-kill” capabilities. In all, Raytheon systems have successfully
intercepted eight targets in space. (See note to editors.)

The SM-3 was launched from the Aegis BMD cruiser USS LAKE ERIE (CG70) and
shortly thereafter hit the target that had been launched from the Navy’s
Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai.

With the two previous Aegis BMD test successes this year, MDA and the U.S.
Navy have accelerated the fight test objectives of the Aegis BMD project. FM-4
marked the beginning of an ongoing flight test series that continues to move
toward deployment as an element of the Ballistic Missile Defense system.

“Along with the U.S. Navy and the Missile Defense Agency, we are on track
to develop this ship-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system for
deployment against short- to medium-range ballistic missile threats. The
success of this test demonstrates that sea-based missile defense on a forward
deployed ship with a high-velocity guided missile can defend large regions, on
the order of 500,000 square miles, or almost twice the size of the state of
Texas,” said Edward Miyashiro, Raytheon’s vice president for Surface Navy Air
Defense Systems.

Air defense variants of STANDARD Missile are currently at sea in more than
50 Aegis cruisers and destroyers, with more than 25 additional ships in
production or planned.

With headquarters in Lexington, Mass., Raytheon Company is a global
technology leader in defense, government and commercial electronics, and
business and special mission aircraft.

  • Note to editors:
  • Raytheon’s hit-to-kill successes include intercepts with sea-based SM-3 in
  • space on Jan. 25 and June 13, 2002.
  • Successful interceptions with the company’s Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle,
  • part of MDA’s Ground-based Midcourse Defense program, occurred on Oct. 9,
  • 1999, July 14 and Dec. 3, 2001, and March 15 and Oct. 14, 2002.

Contact: Sara Hammond
520.794.7810