By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
Destroying enemy Anti-Ship Guided Missiles from beyond the horizon, changing course in flight to adjust trajectory to hit a moving target using an active seeker, and performing clear, direct intercepts of a growing range on mid-layer air threat such as enemy missiles, drones, helicopters and other threats…are all missions now possible for the US Navy’s SM-6 missile.
However, two SM-6s have now for the first time intercepted a Medium-Range Ballistic Missile in its terminal phase of flight, Several months ago, the US Navy was able to take this step with the SM-6 and further evolve the weapon to address new threat circumstances.
“The agency (Missile Defense Agency) announced the successful interception of a medium-range ballistic missile by two SM-6 interceptors fired simultaneously from an Aegis-equipped ship. The test marked the first interception of this class of missile in the terminal phase of flight by the SM-6 and the third successful test of an Aegis vessel using the SM-6,” a Navy essay stated.
The US Navy’s modernization strategy involves a delicate and deliberate blend between two critical, interwoven approaches aimed at “finding” the best next-generation “disruptive” or new technologies while also adjusting, upgrading and expanding operational capacity of existing cutting edge systems
It would make sense if SM-6 range, maneuverability and guidance precision were improved with software upgrades as that has been the case with the weapon in recent years. Nearly 10 years ago, the Navy worked with Raytheon to upgrade the SM-6 with software improvements adding a “double-mode” seeker. This means that instead of needed to rely upon a ship-based illuminator for guidance, there is an electromagnetic seeker or “ping” capability built into the missile itself so it can send its own signal to bounce of a maneuver target, and adjust to changing positions. Essentially, the dual mode seeker, which both sends and receives electromagnetic “pings” now enables the SM-6 to adapt quickly to move targets with greater speed and precision while reducing latency. This is one of many reasons why the Navy has also in recent years been building upon the operational envelope of the SM-6 to enable it to perform offensive operations as well.
This has been the case with the SM-6s long-standing role in a now-deployed critical Navy ship-defense system called Naval Integrated Fire Control – Counter Air. (NIFC-CA). The system, which has been arming forward destroyers since 2015 uses ship-based fire control radar systems and Vertical Launch System to exchange time sensitive threat data with an aerial gateway such as a Hawkeye surveillance plane or F-35 to detect an approaching anti-ship missile from beyond the ship’s radar aperture horizon and “relay” target specifics to ship commanders at much greater stand-off ranges, affording decision-makers a much improved time window with which to decide upon the optimal countermeasure, interceptor of defensive course of action.
The precision and success with which the Navy and Raytheon upgraded the SM-6 to absorb these missions lead some service weapons developers to think of using NIFC-CA in an offensive capacity wherein gateway sensors find, light-up and provide tracking detail on enemy targets beyond the standard ship-fired range of an SM-6. Enemy ships could be attacked with precision, as well as submarines coming to the surface or even ground missile launchers moving along the coastline.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization and Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
