US Navy warships are firing top ballistic missile interceptors
at an 'alarming rate,' admiral says
Business Insider 06/24/25
"During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii said US forces had expended large amounts of munitions to defend Israel from Iranian strikes during the latest round of conflict in the Middle East and asked whether the Navy had all the Standard Missile-3 interceptors that it needed to be ready for other global threats."
(Kinda the plan yo.)
"Adm. James Kilby, the acting chief of naval operations, said that the service did have a sufficient supply of interceptors but that "we are, to your point, using them at an alarming rate."
"The SM-3 is a missile interceptor that uses a kinetic kill vehicle to destroy short- to intermediate-range missiles during the midcourse phase of flight. It's part of the Navy's highly advanced Aegis Combat System, equipped on Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers."
"Unlike the Navy's other missile interceptors,
the SM-3 can engage targets in space."
"The SM-3 missile comes in multiple variants, which can cost as much as $10 million on the low end and almost $30 million on the high end, according to the MDA."
"Navy leadership has previously said it needs a lot more SM-3s to counter higher-level threats in the Pacific, such as China and its large arsenal of ballistic missiles. Analysts, however, have raised concerns that the sea service is rapidly expending these interceptors in Middle East conflicts without sufficient plans to replace them."
(I keep saying its the plan.
Oh, and I guess I am an "Analysts")
"The fiscal year 2025 defense budget request cut procurement of SM-3 Block IB interceptors from about 150 to zero over the next five years and called for production of only a dozen of the newer SM-3 Block IIA variants every year for the same period."
(WTF?
"Hey Jim?
"Yeah Bob"
"You know those missiles
were blowing through at a rapid clip
that we are gonna need in the Pacific here soon?"
"Yeah"
"How bout we just quit making them."
"Okay Jim, sounds good.")
"The defense appropriation bill reversed some of those plans, providing additional funding for more SM-3 production. In May, the Pentagon awarded a substantial contract to RTX for dozens of SM-3 IBs."
Summary:
We aint gonna have em
when we need em
here soon.
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