Raytheon’s Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) defense system recently intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile target at sea during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led multinational operational demonstration off the coast of Scotland.
The demonstration, called Formidable Shield 17, was an integrated air and missile defense exercise designed to simulate live threat scenarios.
With support from the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the exercise sought to evaluate the abilities of allied nations’ ballistic missile and air warfare defenses when working together in a quick and efficient manner to mitigate enemy threats.
“Real-world events demand real-world testing,” Taylor Lawrence, president of Raytheon’s Missile Systems, said. “Strong cooperation between allied nations and industry helps ensure we are ready to defeat complex threats around the world.”
Raytheon’s Standard Missile-2 and Evolved Seasparrow Missile also conducted simulated engagements on cruise missile targets during the event.
Nations represented at the Formidable Shield 17 exercise included Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Raytheon noted that the sea-based SM-3 Interceptor is currently deployed to assist European ballistic missile defenses while the first land-based SM-3 site became fully operational in Romania in 2016. Poland’s land-based SM-3 site is expected to be in service in 2018.