SM3 - The most versatile missile in the world? #sm3 #sm3missile #aegis #usmilitary

The RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) is a ship-based surface-to-air missile system used by the United States Navy to intercept short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles as a part of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. Although primarily designed as an anti-ballistic missile, the SM-3 has also been employed in an anti-satellite capacity against a satellite at the lower end of low Earth orbit. The SM-3 is primarily used and tested by the United States Navy and also operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Motivation and development.
The SM-3 evolved from the proven SM-2 Block IV design. The SM-3 uses the same solid rocket booster and dual thrust rocket motor as the Block IV missile for the first and second stages and the same steering control section and midcourse missile guidance for maneuvering in the atmosphere. To support the extended range of an exo-atmospheric intercept, additional missile thrust is provided in a new third stage for the SM-3 missile, containing a dual pulse rocket motor for the early exo-atmospheric phase of flight. Initial work was done to adapt SM-3 for land deployment ("Aegis ashore") to especially accommodate the Israelis, but they then chose to pursue their own system, the NATO code-name Arrow 3. A group in the Obama administration envisioned a European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) and SM-3 was chosen as the main vector of this effort because the competing U.S. THAAD does not have enough range and would have required too many sites in Europe to provide adequate coverage. Compared to the GMD's Ground-Based Interceptor however, the SM-3 Block I has about 1⁄5 to 1⁄6 of the range. A significant improvement in this respect, the SM-3 Block II variant widens the missile's diameter from 0.34 m (13.5 in) to 0.53 m (21 in), making it more suitable against intermediate-range ballistic missiles. The highly modified Block IIA missile shares only the first-stage motor with the Block I. The Block IIA was "designed to allow for Japan to protect against a North Korean attack with fewer deployed ships" but it is also the key element of the EPAA phase 3 deployment in Europe. The Block IIA is being jointly developed by Raytheon and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; the latter manages "the third-stage rocket motor and nose cone". The U.S. budgeted cost to date is $1.51 billion for the Block IIA.
Specifications.
It is manufactured by Raytheon, Aerojet, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the Block IIA. It has been in service since 2014-present. The unit cost of the SM3 missile is $11.83 million. The mass of the missile is 1.5 tons. The wingspan of the SM3 missile is 1.57 m (62 in). The length of the SM3 missile is 6.55 m (21 ft 6 in). Warhead used is the Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile (LEAP) kinetic warhead. Guidance system used is the GPS/INS/semi-active radar homing/passive LWIR infrared homing seeker (KW). Maximum speed of the missile is 3 km/s (Mach 8.8) Block IA and B, and 4.5 km/s (Mach 13.2) Block IIA. The SM3 missile range is Block IA/B: 900 - 1200 km (560 miles) and Block IIA: 1,200 km range and flight ceiling 900 - 1,050 km (depending on the type of target).

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