The U.S. Navy is preparing to award Raytheon a contract to automate large portions of SM-6 production lines in an effort to scale the capacity and output farther than the targets set in previous years.
With the risk of a production line shutdown behind them, NAVSEA is interested in providing funds for the special tooling, labor costs, and test equipment needed to automate the manufacturing of SM-6. According to a NAVSEA official, large scale automation of the SM-6 line will decrease lead times, increase output, and strengthen the supply chains and industrial base for the SM-6 production process.
“Using targeted automation in the production process is one of the critical steps to increasing the pace of deliveries and strengthening the industrial base.”
NAVSEA spokesperson
Raytheon could not comment on any planned changes to its SM-6 manufacturing and testing facilities in Tucson, Arizona and Huntsville, Alabama.
The SM-6 has moved into multiple domains, being the U.S. Navy’s only anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-ballistic missile while also being fielded in an air-to-air configuration for naval aviation as the AIM-174B. The U.S. Army has also begun procuring SM-6 for its Mid-Range Capability system which was test fired in Australia last month.
139 missiles are slated for delivery in the force’s FY2026 budget request, split between $187 million in Navy spending and $630 million in reconciliation spending. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense also added an additional $62 million to Navy spending for additional missiles beyond the 139 originally funded.
The committee also urged the Department of Defense to locate additional qualified suppliers for components of the SM-6, including a second source of solid rocket motors which has been a bottleneck to production in the past. The Mk 72 booster and Mk 104 sustaining motor have 33 month lead times, with the guidance system at 36 months.
