In a Missile Defense Agency test, the U.S. Navy fired a Standard Missile-3 Block IB, made by Raytheon, from the USS Lake Erie. The SM-3 eliminated the medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) target.

“We remain on track to deliver this critical capability in time for a 2015 deployment in support of global combatant command requirements, and specifically phase two of the European Phased Adaptive Approach,” said Dr. Taylor Lawrence, President of Raytheon Missile Systems.

The test was the 26th successful intercept for the SM-3 program and the fifth back-to-back successful test of the next-generation SM-3 Block IB guided missile.

“The missile continues to perform, increasing confidence in the SM-3 Block IB's readiness for production,” said Dr. Mitch Stevison, Raytheon Missile Systems' SM-3 program director.

SM-3s destroy incoming ballistic missile threats by colliding with them, a concept sometimes described as "hitting a bullet with a bullet." The impact is the equivalent of a 10-ton truck traveling at 600 mph.

• More than 155 SM-3s have been delivered to the U.S. and Japanese navies.
• Raytheon is on track to deliver the next-generation SM-3 Block IB in 2015.
• SM-3 Block IB will be deployed in both sea-based and land-based modes.