In the United States, the State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the German Government of Standard Missile 6 Block I and Standard Missile 2 Block IIIC missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of 3.5 billion dollars.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has issued the required certification, notifying Congress.
The German Request
The German Government has requested to purchase up to one hundred and seventy-three Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) Block I and up to five hundred and seventy-seven Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) Block IIIC, along with transportation, storage, and launch containers for MK 21 and MK 13 Vertical Launch System (VLS) missiles, respectively installed with the SM-6 Block I and SM-2 Block IIIC missiles.
The proposed sale will enhance Germany’s ability to face current and future threats, providing integrated air and missile defense capabilities deployable from its future F127 class surface combat ships equipped with the Aegis weapon system, strengthening Germany’s ability to present a credible deterrent to regional strategic competitors.
The main contractor will be RTX Corporation; at present, the United States Government is not aware of any proposed offset agreements in relation to this potential sale.
The implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives in Germany.
The Standard Missile 6 (SM-6)
The SM-6 produced by Raytheon (RTX) is a missile capable of carrying out anti-air warfare, ballistic missile defense, and anti-surface warfare missions.
The system offers greater flexibility in a limited naval space (and not only) and allows the United States and their Allies to conveniently augment the offensive power of surface forces.
The RIM-174 Standard ERAM (Extended Range Active Range) or SM-6 has a weight of 1.5 tons, length of 6.6 meters, a diameter of 0.53 meters in the Block 1B version.
The missile is equipped with a two-stage propeller, has a range exceeding 200 nautical miles, reaches a height over 34 km and a maximum speed greater than mach 3.5.
The guidance system is inertial (INS) with active homing for anti-air and anti-missile defense, while it is semi-active homing when employed as a surface-surface weapon.
The warhead of the RIM-174 Standard ERAM weighs about 70 kg with pre-fragmented explosive and proximity or direct impact fuse.
The Standard Missile 2 Block IIIC
The Standard Missile 2 (**SM-2) Block IIIC** is the active terminal guidance version of the **SM-2 MR** and incorporates the **active radar homing capability** of the **SM-6 ERAM** instead of the semi-active radar homing employed by the **SM-2 Block IIIA/Block IIIB**.
The guidance system of the SM-2 Block IIIC, derived from the SM-6 ERAM, was originally developed for the Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM and allows engagements of aircraft and missiles beyond the visual range (BVR).
The combination of active radar homing and the SM-2 missile cell gives the missile additional capabilities against agile maneuvering targets, as well as against targets beyond the effective range of the launching ship’s illumination radar.
Source Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA)
Photo credit @RTX and @TKMS
