The third increment of the SM-6 Sea Based Terminal focuses on hypersonic missile defence in the terminal phase, described by Collins in his 2024 SMD speech as the “‘last look, one shot, it’s what you got’ option.” Tests since then have demonstrated the system’s effectiveness, including the 24 March “Stellar Banshee” trial off Kauai, Hawaii, where USS Pinckney simulated an engagement against an advanced manoeuvring hypersonic target.
That event involved tracking and a simulated SM-6 launch at a Medium Range Ballistic Missile with a Hypersonic Target Vehicle-1 front end, alongside data collection by MDA’s Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor demonstration satellite. The trial supported preparations for Flight Test Aegis Weapon System-43, which will attempt a live intercept of the MRBM HTV-1 using an upgraded SM-6.
The SM-6 remains a terminal-phase defence asset within the Standard Missile series, with the Aegis system employing SM-3 interceptors for exoatmospheric engagements. Collins noted that SM-3 and SM-2A missiles had recently been used operationally during April and October 2024, and June 2025, against Iranian ballistic missiles in the Middle East.
These intercepts have underscored the value of missile defence, aligning with President Donald Trump’s push for a “Golden Dome for America” homeland shield. While Pentagon officials avoided direct reference to the initiative at the Huntsville event, Collins referred to the “new imperative to bring a national capability to bear.”
Source: Aviation Week.
