SM-6 Shatters Engagement Distance Record, Successfully Hits Surface Target

[F-22Raptor]

PACIFIC MISSILE RANGE FACILITY, Hawaii — Raytheon Co.’s Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) successfully engaged five targets and shattered its previous maximum engagement range record, set in June of 2014, the company announced in a March 7 release.

This test series, supported by the Cooperative Engagement Capability, validated the tactical warfighting capability of SM-6 by demonstrating both maximum down-range and a maximum cross-range intercepts in over-the-horizon, engage-on-remote missions.

“These tests demonstrate the full warfighting potential of SM-6 and its proven multimission value,” said Dr. Taylor Lawrence, Raytheon Missile Systems president. “The versatility of SM-6 makes it deployable on 60 surface combatants in the fleet, providing additional layers of capability and protection.”

The guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones, configured with Aegis Baseline 9.C1, executed the series of four missions with five SM-6 missiles for Follow-on Operational Test and Evaluation, part of the final testing leading to a likely declaration of Full Operational Capability in 2017.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Gridley was on station to perform as the Aegis assist ship for the engage-on-remote missions. The tests also proved the ability of SM-6 to conduct complex, multiple target scenarios.

In a separate release, Raytheon reported an SM-6 fired by John Pail Jones had successfully engaged a surface target — the decommissioned frigate Reuben James — in a recent flight test to demonstrate the Navy’s concept of “distributed lethality,” employing ships in dispersed formations to increase the offensive might of the surface force and enabling future options for the joint force commander.

The mission validated that the legacy Anti-Surface Warfare capability of the SM-2 family of missiles and the Mk7 Aegis Weapon System had successfully carried over to SM-6 and the latest Aegis Destroyer baseline 9. In recent testing, SM-6 has shown expanded mission capability in three key areas: Anti-Air Warfare, Sea-Based Terminal and Anti-Surface Warfare. The tri-mission capability of SM-6 continues to emphasize its value by providing additional capability beyond its original intended mission.

SM-6 is a key component of the U.S. Navy’s Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air mission, providing U.S. Navy Sailors and their vessels extended range protection against fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise and ballistic missiles.

The SM-6 deployed for the first time in 2013, and Raytheon has delivered more than 250 missiles. The missile’s final assembly takes place at Raytheon’s state-of-the-art SM-6 and SM-3 all-up-round production facility at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala.

SEAPOWER Magazine Online

 

[Nattmara]

In a separate release, Raytheon reported an SM-6 fired by John Pail Jones had successfully engaged a surface target — the decommissioned frigate Reuben James

Nice! Is there anything SM-6 can't do?

Swiss Army knife of fleet defense missiles. Anti-aircraft, anti-missile, anti-ship, over-the-horizon and ever over obstacles like mountains with CEC being used as a vector, dang!

Godspeed FFG-57! Thank you for your service and good luck your next life.

 

[F-22Raptor]

Navy Sinks Former Frigate USS Reuben James in Test of New Supersonic Anti-Surface Missile

USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) launches a Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) during a live-fire test of the ship’s aegis weapons system on June 19, 2014.


The former frigate USS Reuben James (FFG-57) was sunk in January during a test of the Navy’s new anti-surface warfare (ASuW) variant of the Raytheon Standard Missile 6 (SM-6), company officials told USNI News on Monday.

The adaptation of the SM-6 was fired from guided missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones (DDG-32) and hit James during the Jan. 18 test at the U.S. Pacific Missile Range Facility off the coast of Hawaii, a Raytheon spokeswoman told USNI News.

“The test was a demonstration of the U.S. Navy’s concept of ‘distributed lethality,’ employing ships in dispersed formations to increase the offensive might of the surface force and enabling future options for the joint force commander,” read a release from Raytheon.

News of the test follows the public announcement of the ASuW modification of the SM-6 in February by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.

USS Reuben James (FFG-57) in 2012


“We are going to create a brand-new capability,” Carter told reporters in San Diego on Wednesday. “We’re modifying the SM-6 so that in addition to missile defense, it can also target enemy ships at sea at very long ranges.”
The modification – part of a $2.9 billion missile purchase over the next five years – will give the Navy’s fleet of guided missile cruisers and destroyers a Mach 3.5 supersonic weapon with a range of more than 200 nautical miles.

Along with the recently announced modification to the Block IV Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM), the Navy is pushing more offensive capability in its large surface combatants after decades of not fielding a new ASuW capability in the fleet.

Now that the capability has been tested, the service will introduce the modified missile into Baseline 9 Arleigh Burke destroyers (DDG-51).

The target – Reuben James – was decommissioned in 2013 after 27 years of service, which included convoy duty during the Iran-Iraq War and a nine month deployment in 2002 and 2003.

In fiction, the ship was featured in the Tom Clancy and Larry Bond novel Red Storm Rising and (played by another frigate) in the filmed version of The Hunt for Red October.

Navy Sinks Former Frigate USS Reuben James in Test of New Supersonic Anti-Surface Missile - USNI News

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

 

[Penguin]

[USS Reuben James] was decommissioned on 18 July 2013, and sunk in January 2016 in a test of a new anti-surface warfare variant of the Raytheon Standard Missile 6 (SM-6). The missile was fired from the guided missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones (DDG-53) on 18 January 2016 at the U.S. Pacific Missile Range Facility near Hawaii.

USS Reuben James (FFG-57) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Standard can also be used against ships, either at line-of-sight range using its semi-active homing mode, or over the horizon using inertial guidance and terminal infrared homing

But ... am I reading this correctly? One SM-6 sank a Perry class frigate? USS Reuben James during RIMPAC 2010.

RIM-174 Standard ERAM aka SM-6
Weight 3,300 lb (1,500 kg)
Length 21.5 ft (6.55 m)
Diameter 21 in (0.53 m) max.
Warhead blast fragmentation warhead

This missile uses the airframe of the earlier SM-2ER Block IV (RIM-156A) missile, adding the active radar homing seeker from the AIM-120C AMRAAM in place of the semi-active seeker of the previous design.

RIM-67 Standard ER
Weight 2,980 lb (1,350 kg)
Length 26.2 ft (8.0 m)
Warhead Proximity fuse, high explosive 137 lb (62 kg) continuous rod, later blast fragmentation

Assume that the warhead wasn't changed (but even if it was, it can't be much larger than that of Standard SM2ER), it is a much smaller warhead (1/3) than that of e.g. Harpoon.

RGM-84
Weight 1,523 lb (691 kg) with booster
Length Air-launched: 12.6 ft (3.8 m); Surface- and submarine-launched: 15 ft (4.6 m)
Diameter 13.5 in (34 cm)
Warhead 488 pounds (221 kg)

IMHO, the sinking of Reuben James involved many missiles, or not just the SM-6 (i.e. SM-6 being one of the weapons used in the test)

This is a SINKEX video made by DESRON-2 on the USS John F Kennedy battlegroup in Oct 2001. The aircraft are from CAG-7. Total composition- 2 HARM missiles, 2 Hellfire Missile, 2 Penguin Missiles, 4 Maverick Missiles, CBU-99 Cluster Bombs, about 40 [!!] Laser Guided Bombs (LGB) using the MK-82 500lb warhead, 1 air-launched Harpoon Missile, 9 surface-launched Harpoons, Naval gunfire, and finally a MK-48