The Australian authorities stated on Saturday it had test-fired a Raytheon SM-6 missile from a Navy ship for the primary time, a serious step in buying and integrating the air protection weapon into its stock.
HMAS Sydney carried out the check close to the US state of Hawaii as a part of train Pacific Dragon 2024, Australia’s defence ministry stated, calling it a “important milestone” in an settlement first authorized in 2021.
The SM-6 is probably the most superior naval air protection missile within the U.S. arsenal, together with towards ballistic missiles, and has additionally been examined to assault ships and land targets and in air-to-air situations.
“That is one other instance of the acceleration within the acquisition of vital capabilities for the Navy,” stated Pat Conroy, Australia’s Minister for Defence Trade and Functionality Supply. “The power to discourage an adversary from lengthy ranges and deter makes an attempt to undertaking energy towards Australia is a central a part of the Nationwide Defence Technique.”
Australia has been working to bolster its navy capabilities within the face of rising tensions with China, together with upgrades to its US-funded bases.
Increasing the world a ship can defend forces adversaries to function additional out and permits the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to push deeper into contested waters if there’s a battle.
In March, Australia assisted with one other US SM-6 check by offering information assortment, communications and monitoring, in response to the US Missile Protection Company.
The Australian authorities has not stated what number of missiles it plans to purchase from the US, however when authorized for international navy gross sales in 2021, U.S. authorities paperwork present an estimated value of $350 million for “protection articles and providers.”
That determine included each SM-6 missiles and the older SM-2 missiles already in use by the Australian Navy.
Saturday’s announcement didn’t point out when SM-6 can be operational, however did point out it could be deployed on Hobart-class destroyers, of which Australia has three. Every can carry 48 air protection missiles.
“The SM-6’s versatility makes it a pretty addition to the RAN’s restricted missile arsenal, giving it extra anti-ship and missile defence functionality to enhance the Naval Strike Missile,” a sophisticated anti-ship missile the RAN additionally not too long ago examined, stated Euan Graham, a senior analyst on the Australian Strategic Coverage Institute.