Pentagon, Raytheon sign $6.3B deal to replenish US missile interceptor supply

The Pentagon inked a five-year contract with Raytheon for the steady production of ballistic missile interceptors that use force to destroy targets, rather than explosives.

The $6.3 billion contract, which provides two additional option years, will see Raytheon provide the Defense Department with a continuous supply of Standard Missile-3 Block IB interceptors manufactured primarily in Tucson, Arizona and Huntsville, Alabama.

“SM-3 Block IB has proven its relevance in combat and this contract helps ensure we can replenish inventories and keep pace with the evolving threats the U.S. Navy, MDA and their partners face around the world,” Raytheon President Phil Jasper said in a statement.

The SM-3 Block IB interceptor belongs to a larger family of “hit-to-kill” SM-3 missile interceptors, which seek and destroy incoming ballistic missiles using sheer speed and momentum.

The Block IB type can be used by land forces and ships and is frequently deployed on vessels due to its range and highly flexible steering. The interceptor tracks flying targets with a two-color infrared seeker and propels itself towards them in short bursts, giving it accuracy at high speed as it homes in on targets.

It is designed to knock short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles out of the sky when they are halfway to hitting their targets, and has long striking reach. It was used in combat for the first time in 2024 when the U.S. Navy destroyers USS Arleigh Burke and USS Carney fired them to intercept Iranian missiles aimed at targets in Israel.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies named the SM-3 Block IB among “seven critical munitions” in an April report detailing ammunition shortages, alongside Patriot missiles, Precision Strike Missiles, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missiles, Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles and others.

The contract for more SM-3 Block IBs, announced by Raytheon on Thursday, was among five framework agreements the defense giant signed with the Pentagon this February.

The deal comes at a time when the DoD is seeking to avert diminishing munitions stockpiles . National security specialists, defense analysts and foreign policy pundits cautioned in March that the U.S. military’s increased use of missile interceptors during the war with Iran poses strategic risks to integral defense capabilities if fighting spills into a long-term conflict.

Raytheon stated in its release that the contract for SM-3 Block IB supply “supports urgent replenishment of missile defense inventory that has been successfully used in combat and remains central to protecting U.S. forces, allies and critical infrastructure.”

Zita Ballinger Fletcher previously served as editor of Military History Quarterly and Vietnam magazines and as the historian of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. She holds an M.A. with distinction in military history.

五角大楼与雷神公司签署了一份为期五年的合同，持续生产使用武力而非炸药摧毁目标的弹道导弹拦截器。

这份价值 63 亿美元的合同（另有两年续约选择权）将使雷神公司持续向国防部供应主要在亚利桑那州图森市和阿拉巴马州亨茨维尔市生产的 Standard Missile-3 Block IB 拦截导弹。

雷神公司总裁菲尔·贾斯珀在一份声明中表示：“SM-3 Block IB 导弹已在实战中证明了其重要性，这份合同有助于确保我们能够补充库存，并跟上美国海军、导弹防御局及其合作伙伴在世界各地面临的不断变化的威胁。”

SM-3 Block IB 拦截器属于更大的“直接命中摧毁”SM-3 导弹拦截器系列，该系列拦截器利用速度和动量来搜索和摧毁来袭的弹道导弹。

Block IB 型拦截器可供陆军和舰艇使用，由于其射程远、转向灵活，常被部署在舰艇上。该拦截器采用双色红外导引头跟踪飞行目标，并以短脉冲推进的方式接近目标，从而在高速飞行中保持高精度。

它旨在拦截飞行中短程和中程弹道导弹，使其在接近目标时被击落，且打击范围较远。2024年，美国海军驱逐舰“阿利·伯克”号和“卡尼”号首次使用该武器进行实战，拦截了伊朗瞄准以色列目标的导弹。

战略与国际研究中心在 4 月份的一份报告中，将 SM-3 Block IB 列为“七种关键弹药”之一，该报告详细介绍了弹药短缺情况，其他关键弹药还包括爱国者导弹、精确打击导弹、末段高空区域防御系统 (THAAD) 导弹、战斧陆攻导弹等。

雷神公司周四宣布的增购SM-3 Block IB导弹的合同，是这家国防巨头今年2月与五角大楼签署的五项框架协议之一。

这项协议达成之际，正值美国国防部寻求避免弹药库存减少之时。国家安全专家、国防分析人士和外交政策评论员在3月份曾警告说，如果美伊战争演变为长期冲突，美军在战争中越来越多地使用导弹拦截器将对核心防御能力构成战略风险。

雷神公司在新闻稿中表示，SM-3 Block IB 导弹的供应合同“支持紧急补充导弹防御库存，该库存已在战斗中成功使用，并且对于保护美国军队、盟友和关键基础设施仍然至关重要。”

齐塔·巴林格·弗莱彻曾任《军事史季刊》和《越南》杂志的编辑，以及美国缉毒署的历史学家。她拥有军事史硕士学位（成绩优异）。