US Navy awards Raytheon multi-year SM-6 production contract
The US Navy has awarded Raytheon multi-year production acceleration contract for SM-6s, like the one shown here being launched by an unmanned surface vessel. (US Navy)
The US Navy (USN) awarded Raytheon a five-year USD24.4 million contract to accelerate anti-air and anti-surface warfare Standard Missile (SM)-6 production, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao confirmed in a statement on 1 October.
The contract includes two additional option years, Raytheon confirmed in a 1 October statement.
The contact award addresses a need to replenish the USN fleet munitions magazine, the service acknowledged in the contact confirmation statement.
After years of naval combat in the Red Sea and nearby regions for recent operations against Iran, USN munitions have been depleted below the service's official requirements. USN officials now say they are pulling every lever to accelerate munitions procurement to rebuild weapons stocks.
“Defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks consumed many costly missile defense interceptors — Patriot, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), Standard Missile-3 (SM-3), and Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) interceptors,” the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said in a 15 September letter to US Congressman Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the ranking member of the Congressional Committee on the Budget.
CBO said estimated that the cost to replace the munitions expended through 1 August 2026 is USD21.7 billion: USD7.3 billion for land-attack cruise missiles, USD13.1 billion for missile defence interceptors, and USD1.2 billion for other munitions.
“Replacing those munitions has been the largest single component of the costs incurred by DoD during the conflict,” CBO said
Go beyond the headlines - with direct links to interconnected entities
Get full access to validated equipment, military capabilities, and market insights.
