RIM-161 Standard Missile 3

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The RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) is a ship-based surface-to-air missile used by the United States Navy to intercept ballistic missiles as a part of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. With the Block IIA's range of 1,200 km, the SM-3 is the second longest-ranged anti-ballistic of the US Missile Defense Agency, behind the Ground-Based Interceptor. 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. All SM-3 variants are manufactured by Raytheon and Aerojet, while the Block IIA is developed jointly with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Target acquisition is provided by the ship's AN/SPY-1 radar, and the missile carries the Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile warhead. In 2008, the US military destroyed its satellite USA-193, at an altitude of 247 kilometers, by firing an SM-3 from the USS Lake Erie...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Lt. Chris Bishop Deputy Director, U.S. Navy photo (RELEASED), Public domain