On 22 October it was announced by the Australian Government it will bolster RAN’s air and missile defence under a $7 billion agreement with the US to acquire Standard Missile 2 Block IIIC (SM-2 IIIC) and Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) long-range missiles.
Reportedly the SM-2 IIIC and SM-6 are the most advanced air and missile defence weapons in the world and will be progressively deployed across Navy’s Hobart class destroyers and in the future, the Hunter class frigates. This follows the recent successful test firing of a SM-6 from HMAS Sydney.
In a media release the Department of Defence said “The SM-2 IIIC and SM6 contain advanced technologies that will greatly enhance the lethality and effectiveness of our Navy ships in line with the National Defence Strategy and the Independent Analysis into Navy’s Surface Combatant Fleet.”
The SM-2 IIIC brings active seeker technology and significantly enhanced defensive capabilities against missile threats. The SM-6 missile will provide the RAN with extended range air defence capability against air and missile threats, an offensive anti-ship capability and for the first time, a terminal ballistic missile defence capability.
The SM-2 IIIC and SM-6 complement existing capabilities such as ESSM Block 2 and Naval Strike Missile as part of a layered strike and missile defence capability for Navy’s surface combatant fleet.
Source: RAN
