Raytheon Commences Full-Rate Production of SM-3 Block IIA Missile

Raytheon officially began full-rate production of the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA. The full-rate production milestone, announced in October 2024, follows a $1.9 billion contract awarded by the MDA in July 2024 to manufacture missiles for both U.S. and Japanese defense purposes. Work on this contract will be executed at Raytheon’s facilities in Tucson, Arizona, and Huntsville, Alabama, with completion expected by 2031.