Pentagon Counters Russia & Tests New SM-3 IIA Missile for Poland

The Pentagon will soon fire its emerging SM-3 IIA interceptor missile from a land-based Aegis Ashore site for the first time as part of a broad-based, multi-year effort to help defend European allies from short and intermediate-range ballistic missile attacks from Russia, Iran or other potential adversaries.

A follow on to the SM-3, the SM-3 IIA is a larger and more high-tech interceptor missile able to destroy threatening targets at longer ranges; the weapon, being developed as part of a cooperative arrangement between the US Missile Defense Agency and Japan, is designed to work in tandem with Aegis radar systems to track and destroy approaching enemy missiles – by knocking them out
of the sky.

Amy Cohen, SM-3 Program Director, told Warrior Maven in an interview that the SM-3 IIA program is on track.

The effort is part the Pentagon’s European Phased Adaptive Approach, an initiative aimed at building upon the success of Aegis missile defense at-sea with land sites in Poland and Romania. Called Aegis Ashore, the land sites are intended to protect the European continent from potential future ballistic missile threats such as Russia and Iran, among others.

Russia’s reported violations of the INF treaty, resulting in firing of medium-range ballistic missiles, is regarded by many as a substantial threat to NATO countries in Europe. Accordingly, it comes as little surprise that the Pentagon is working vigorously to bolster missile defense in the region. Certain land-fired ballistic missiles fired from Russian territory could, at very least, threaten many NATO-allied bases, force concentrations and other assets.

An Aegis Ashore site became operational in Romania in 2015, and another is slated to stand up in Poland sometime later this year.

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A Missile Defense Agency official told Warrior Maven that “the SM-3 Block IIA missile is a larger version of the SM-3 IB in terms of boosters and the kinetic warhead, which allows for increased operating time. The second and third stage boosters on the SM-IIA are 21” in diameter, allowing for longer flight times and engagements of threats higher in the exo-atmosphere.”