Program · United States
Standard Missile 3 (SM-3)
Ship- and land-launched interceptor for ballistic missile defense above the atmosphere.
Updated
Fielded
Awarded
—
Across linked awards
Timeline1
- FieldedConfirmed
Nine Block I missiles available for operational use
GAO reports nine SM-3 Block I missiles ready by December 2005; this is an availability milestone, not an assertion of a precise first fielding day.
Program and variant milestones. Dates show only the precision the sources give.
Cost to the GovernmentFY2027 request $5.46B
| Measure | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Program totals · 2 | ||
| Block IIA gross procurement / interceptorIncludes canisters, engineering, obsolescence and other support. | $37.07MNominal $; source budget basis | FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror · figure FY2026 base request |
| R&D program totalA lifetime program R&D total was not established. Development contracts and shared program budgets are not substituted for that total. | Not established | — |
| Unit costs · 4 | ||
| Unit cost (per round)The War Zone (May 2024), based on Pentagon budget documents of the prior five years, rounded to nearest $10,000: SM-3 Block IB $12.51M; Block IIA $28.7M. | $12.51MThen-year $ | What The Navy's Ship-Launched Missiles Actually Cost The War Zone · May 21, 2024 |
| Unit cost (flyaway)SM-3 Block IIA flyaway unit cost, FY 2027 discretionary request (MD14): $29.893M for 22 missiles (FY2025 $28.703M; FY2026 $28.686M). SM-3 Block IB flyaway (MD09) FY2026: $17.890M for 26. | $29.893MThen-year $ · 22 units | Missile Defense Agency FY 2027 Budget Estimates: Procurement, Defense-Wide (Volume 2b) Missile Defense Agency / Office of the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) · Apr 21, 2026 |
| Block IIA flyaway / interceptorMD14 P-40, Volume 2b p61. Missile-only flyaway figure; canisters and program support increase the gross procurement average. | $28.686MNominal $; source budget basis | FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror · figure FY2026 base request |
| Block IB flyaway / interceptorMD09 historical baseline flyaway; a different variant and dollar year from the headline Block IIA figure. | $12.5MNominal $; source budget basis | FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror · figure FY2024 · PB2026 |
| Quantities · 2 | ||
| Block IIA base-request interceptorsMD14 base request; not all SM-3 variants or inventory. | 12U.S. only; stated source scope | FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror · figure FY2026 |
| U.S. inventoryA current U.S. inventory was not established. Annual procurement, cumulative deliveries and production capacity are not a stockpile count. | Not established | — |
| Operating costs · 1 | ||
| Aegis BMD program O&M requestOP-5 p29. Broader program includes SM-3 sustainment, Aegis weapon-system support and Aegis Ashore. Not an SM-3-only annual cost or a per-interceptor allocation. | $152.247M / yrNominal $; source budget basis | FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror · figure FY2026 |
Program totals · 2
- Block IIA gross procurement / interceptorIncludes canisters, engineering, obsolescence and other support.FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror · figure FY2026 base request$37.07MNominal $; source budget basis
- R&D program totalA lifetime program R&D total was not established. Development contracts and shared program budgets are not substituted for that total.Source not recordedNot established
Unit costs · 4
- Unit cost (per round)The War Zone (May 2024), based on Pentagon budget documents of the prior five years, rounded to nearest $10,000: SM-3 Block IB $12.51M; Block IIA $28.7M.What The Navy's Ship-Launched Missiles Actually Cost The War Zone · May 21, 2024$12.51MThen-year $
- Unit cost (flyaway)SM-3 Block IIA flyaway unit cost, FY 2027 discretionary request (MD14): $29.893M for 22 missiles (FY2025 $28.703M; FY2026 $28.686M). SM-3 Block IB flyaway (MD09) FY2026: $17.890M for 26.Missile Defense Agency FY 2027 Budget Estimates: Procurement, Defense-Wide (Volume 2b) Missile Defense Agency / Office of the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) · Apr 21, 2026$29.893MThen-year $ · 22 units
- Block IIA flyaway / interceptorMD14 P-40, Volume 2b p61. Missile-only flyaway figure; canisters and program support increase the gross procurement average.FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror · figure FY2026 base request$28.686MNominal $; source budget basis
- Block IB flyaway / interceptorMD09 historical baseline flyaway; a different variant and dollar year from the headline Block IIA figure.FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror · figure FY2024 · PB2026$12.5MNominal $; source budget basis
Quantities · 2
- Block IIA base-request interceptorsMD14 base request; not all SM-3 variants or inventory.FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror · figure FY202612U.S. only; stated source scope
- U.S. inventoryA current U.S. inventory was not established. Annual procurement, cumulative deliveries and production capacity are not a stockpile count.Source not recordedNot established
Operating costs · 1
- Aegis BMD program O&M requestOP-5 p29. Broader program includes SM-3 sustainment, Aegis weapon-system support and Aegis Ashore. Not an SM-3-only annual cost or a per-interceptor allocation.FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror · figure FY2026$152.247M / yrNominal $; source budget basis
Earlier observations · 4
Superseded estimates and prices, each in its original scope and dollar basis.
| Measure | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Unit cost (per round)SM-3 Block IB FY2021 unit price (MDA budget) as reported by The War Zone from official budget documents. SM-3 Block IIA in same article: $36,387,000. | $11.83MThen-year $ | Here Is What Each Of The Navy's Ship-Launched Missiles Actually Costs The War Zone · Dec 11, 2020 |
| Block IIA flyaway / interceptor1 | $26.83MNominal $; source budget basis | FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror · figure FY2024 · PB2026 |
| Block IIA flyaway / interceptor1 | $28.703MNominal $; source budget basis | FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror · figure FY2025 · PB2026 |
| Block IIA flyaway / interceptor1 | $28.686MNominal $; source budget basis | FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror · figure FY2026 base request |
- Unit cost (per round)SM-3 Block IB FY2021 unit price (MDA budget) as reported by The War Zone from official budget documents. SM-3 Block IIA in same article: $36,387,000.Here Is What Each Of The Navy's Ship-Launched Missiles Actually Costs The War Zone · Dec 11, 2020$11.83MThen-year $
- Block IIA flyaway / interceptor1FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror · figure FY2024 · PB2026$26.83MNominal $; source budget basis
- Block IIA flyaway / interceptor1FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror · figure FY2025 · PB2026$28.703MNominal $; source budget basis
- Block IIA flyaway / interceptor1FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror · figure FY2026 base request$28.686MNominal $; source budget basis
1MD14 P-40, Volume 2b p61. Missile-only flyaway figure; canisters and program support increase the gross procurement average.
| Fiscal year | Appropriation | Request | Enacted | Qty | Budget line | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2027 | Procurement | $5.46B | — | 214 | — | Program Acquisition Cost by Weapon System: Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request Office of the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) · Apr 21, 2026 |
| FY2026 | Procurement | $462M | $1.33B | 54 | — | Program Acquisition Cost by Weapon System: Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request Office of the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) · Apr 21, 2026 |
| FY2025 | Procurement | — | $633M | 18 | — | Program Acquisition Cost by Weapon System: Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request Office of the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) |
Do not combine Block IB and IIA prices
The source has separate procurement lines for Block IB and Block IIA. It also separates flyaway from the gross weapon-system average. Aegis program-wide R&D and operations cannot be assigned entirely to SM-3 rounds.
FY2026 MDA justification, Volume 2b: procurement, O&M and MILCON (government report mirrored by CSIS) Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror
Contracts & purchasing · 1
Ceilings, options and purchase agreements are not spending and are never added together. Obligations are under Contracts.
| Buyer → seller | Status | Value | Qty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. government → RTX / RaytheonSM-3 Block IB production and sustainment; five years plus two option years. This is a different variant from the Block IIA unit-price headline; no contract quantity or current obligations disclosed. | Maximum multiyear contract value | $6.3B | — | SM-3 Block IB production and sustainment contract, up to $6.3B RTX · figure Oct 8, 2026 |
Open research: Current U.S. inventory and complete annual operating-and-support costs require additional public evidence. Buyer records are selected examples, not a complete global order book. Additional primary-source international purchase and delivery records remain to be reviewed.
What the government budgets and pays for this program, from budget justification books, appropriations, acquisition reports and contract announcements. Each figure states its dollar basis. What contractors were obligated is under Contracts.