The company is strengthening the flow of components, reviewing manufacturing processes and helping suppliers become more resilient. The SM-6 is one of several munitions Raytheon is producing at accelerated rates under a series of contracts with the Department of War.
For the sprint, the Navy asked Raytheon to build as many missiles as possible, as quickly as possible. Operations, engineering, supply chain and quality specialists assessed the hardware on hand, suppliers’ readiness to deliver more and the factory’s available capacity.
“This wasn’t a normal hurry-up. It was ‘The country needs hardware,’” said Paul Borboa, who was then a senior director for Naval Standard Missile Systems at Raytheon.
The team chose the highest of several production benchmarks it considered and tracked progress over 90 days, down to individual parts. Special short-term measures brought in more components than usual, allowing production to accelerate as complete kits became available.
“You need all the parts – every single one – or you cannot build a missile,” Borboa said. “When everything showed up at once, we finally saw what the line could actually do.”
The missile integration site in Huntsville, Alabama, ran three daily shifts, including weekend work, while suppliers and other Raytheon facilities supported the effort through daily calls and site visits when needed. Quality assurance and test teams added staff and extended shifts, retaining the full SM-6 acceptance testing regimen.
Production and hardware management leaders met each morning to review a color-coded board showing where work was progressing, at risk or blocked. The factory completed a run of missiles in the first month and increased output further in the second.
“We moved fast,” said Cedric Macadangdang, SM-6 missile production director for Naval Standard Missile Systems at Raytheon. “If something popped up, it got solved that day.”
The team reached its target on the final day and then completed one more missile, according to Raytheon. The company did not disclose the target or the total number produced.
The SM-6 is an offensive and defensive munition that can be launched from land, ships at sea and the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet fighter jet. Raytheon said the team has continued its push to increase production since completing the sprint.
“The urgency didn’t end,” said Abel Ghanooni, executive director of Naval Standard Missile Systems at Raytheon. “The team kept their foot on the gas.”
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