Aerojet Rocketdyne’s propulsion systems assist in multinational naval exercise

Aerojet Rocketdyne announced Wednesday that its propulsion systems used in Raytheon’s Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IB guided missile recently supported a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led, multinational naval exercise off the coast of Scotland.

The exercise, called Formidable Shield 17, included four separate events that were designed to simulate live threat scenarios. During one event, an SM-3 guided missile was launched from a U.S. destroyer and aimed to intercept a ballistic missile target.

Aerojet’s MK-72 booster and MK-104 dual-thrust rocket motor provided the first and second stages of propulsion for the missile, while its Throttling Divert and Attitude Control System assisted in successfully hitting the missile’s intended target.

The demonstration was conducted with support from the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and included the use of 14 ships and 10 aircraft as well as personnel from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

“An integrated air and missile defense exercise the magnitude of ‘Formidable Shield’ demands the best-of-the-best in terms of the systems utilized to test our Allied Forces’ ability to respond to real threats,” Aerojet Rocketdyne President and CEO Eileen Drake said. “Aerojet Rocketdyne employees across the nation work hard every day to ensure that we provide our warfighters with superior capabilities, and our role in this intense international test underscores trust and confidence in our products.”