Raytheon is expanding production of the SM-6 missile to meet rising demand from the US Navy and allied customers, using a multiyear manufacturing effort that includes a three-month production sprint and supply-chain measures. The weapon can be launched from ships, land-based systems and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, supporting air-defence, anti-surface and ballistic-missile-defence missions.
The RTX business is targeting output of hundreds of SM-6 rounds annually within the next several years and plans to increase annual production through 2030. During the sprint, production, engineering, supply-chain and quality teams tracked component availability and factory capacity through a 90-day programme. Raytheon also secured higher-than-normal parts supplies and maintained the missile’s full acceptance-test regime while expanding quality-assurance staffing and working shifts, including weekends.
Work at the Huntsville, Alabama, missile-integration site included three daily shifts. Raytheon has completed a $115 million, 26,000-square-foot expansion there, increasing production capacity by more than 50% and supporting more than 2,200 employees.
The effort follows a five-year US Navy contract valued at up to $24.4 billion, with two additional option years, intended to accelerate SM-6 production and provide a more predictable basis for workforce, supplier, tooling and manufacturing investment. The contract does not disclose the number of missiles covered or their delivery schedule.