U.S. defense contractor Boeing has signed seven-year framework agreements with the U.S. Department of War (DoW) and Raytheon to increase the production of critical hardware for the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor.
The company announced that the agreements will boost the output of avionics and ejector assemblies for the SM-3 Block IB and Block IIA variants.
The SM-3 system is designed to intercept missile threats outside the Earth’s atmosphere and forms a key component of the U.S. sea-based missile defense network.
Production ramp-up ahead of multi-year contract
Under the new frameworks, Boeing, the DoW and SM-3 prime contractor Raytheon will begin ramping up production while concurrently negotiating a formal multi-year contract award.
Bob Ciesla, vice president of Boeing Precision Engagement Systems, said the agreements provide a clear demand signal to build and deliver the interceptors at the levels required to counter incoming threats.
Ciesla described the SM-3 as an essential element of the layered air and missile defense architecture protecting the U.S. and its allies.
Broader missile defense investments
The initiative aligns with the DoW’s Acquisition Transformation Strategy, which aims to accelerate the delivery of key capabilities to the armed forces.
Boeing noted that the new SM-3 framework builds upon an existing agreement with the DoW and Lockheed Martin to increase the production of seekers for the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) system.