Program · United States
Standard Missile 6 (SM-6)
Extended-range naval air defense missile with additional surface and missile-defense roles.
Updated
Fielded
Timeline2
- Initial operating capabilityConfirmed
SM-6 achieves initial operational capability
- Contract awardConfirmed
Five-year multi-year procurement contract (up to $24.4B)
Program and variant milestones. Dates show only the precision the sources give.
Cost to the GovernmentFY2027 request $4.87B
| Measure | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Program totals · 1 | ||
| Annual RDT&E fundingMissiles & Munitions 5-17. Annual research, development, test and evaluation funding in the March 2024 budget presentation; FY2024 and FY2025 are request figures. Not a lifetime R&D total or actual expenditure. | $468.3M / yrNominal $; source budget basis | FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2025 · FY2025 budget book |
| Unit costs · 2 | ||
| 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-6 $4.27M per round. | $4.27MThen-year $ | What The Navy's Ship-Launched Missiles Actually Cost The War Zone · May 21, 2024 |
| Derived procurement funding / missileCalculation: $755.2M procurement / 125 missiles. Funding includes missiles and canisters; this is not a recurring flyaway quote. | $6.042MNominal $; source budget basis | FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2025 request · March 2024 |
| Quantities · 2 | ||
| Block IA requested missilesProcurement quantity in the March 2024 budget book; not delivered inventory. | 125U.S. only; stated source scope | FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2025 request |
| 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 | ||
| Annual operations & supportA complete, system-specific annual operating and support cost was not established. Procurement, replacement rounds and contract support are different measures. | Not established | — |
Program totals · 1
- Annual RDT&E fundingMissiles & Munitions 5-17. Annual research, development, test and evaluation funding in the March 2024 budget presentation; FY2024 and FY2025 are request figures. Not a lifetime R&D total or actual expenditure.FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2025 · FY2025 budget book$468.3M / yrNominal $; source budget basis
Unit costs · 2
- 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-6 $4.27M per round.What The Navy's Ship-Launched Missiles Actually Cost The War Zone · May 21, 2024$4.27MThen-year $
- Derived procurement funding / missileCalculation: $755.2M procurement / 125 missiles. Funding includes missiles and canisters; this is not a recurring flyaway quote.FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2025 request · March 2024$6.042MNominal $; source budget basis
Quantities · 2
- Block IA requested missilesProcurement quantity in the March 2024 budget book; not delivered inventory.FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2025 request125U.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
- Annual operations & supportA complete, system-specific annual operating and support cost was not established. Procurement, replacement rounds and contract support are different measures.Source not recordedNot established
Earlier observations · 8
Superseded estimates and prices, each in its original scope and dollar basis.
| Measure | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Program totals · 6 | ||
| Annual RDT&E funding1 | $298.3M / yrNominal $; source budget basis | FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2023 · FY2025 budget book |
| Annual RDT&E funding1 | $418.2M / yrNominal $; source budget basis | FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2024 · FY2025 budget book |
| Annual RDT&E funding1 | $468.3M / yrNominal $; source budget basis | FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2025 · FY2025 budget book |
| Annual SM-6 procurement funding2 | $489.1MNominal $; source budget basis | FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2023 · FY2025 budget book |
| Annual SM-6 procurement funding2 | $1.197BNominal $; source budget basis | FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2024 · FY2025 budget book |
| Annual SM-6 procurement funding2 | $755.2MNominal $; source budget basis | FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2025 · FY2025 budget book |
| Unit costs · 2 | ||
| Unit cost (per round)FY2021 Navy budget request average unit price for SM-6 (Block I and Block IA) as reported by The War Zone from official budget documents. | $4.319MThen-year $ | Here Is What Each Of The Navy's Ship-Launched Missiles Actually Costs The War Zone · Dec 11, 2020 |
| Unit cost (per round)Army Mid-Range Capability SM-6 Block IA buy, FY 2027 request P-5: $5,497.643K per missile for 14 (FY2026 $5,448.667K for 6). Navy WPN book not machine-fetchable. | $5.498MThen-year $ · 14 units | Army FY 2027 Budget Estimates: Missile Procurement, Army Justification Book U.S. Army, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller) |
Program totals · 6
- Annual RDT&E funding1FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2023 · FY2025 budget book$298.3M / yrNominal $; source budget basis
- Annual RDT&E funding1FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2024 · FY2025 budget book$418.2M / yrNominal $; source budget basis
- Annual RDT&E funding1FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2025 · FY2025 budget book$468.3M / yrNominal $; source budget basis
- Annual SM-6 procurement funding2FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2023 · FY2025 budget book$489.1MNominal $; source budget basis
- Annual SM-6 procurement funding2FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2024 · FY2025 budget book$1.197BNominal $; source budget basis
- Annual SM-6 procurement funding2FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024 · figure FY2025 · FY2025 budget book$755.2MNominal $; source budget basis
Unit costs · 2
- Unit cost (per round)FY2021 Navy budget request average unit price for SM-6 (Block I and Block IA) as reported by The War Zone from official budget documents.Here Is What Each Of The Navy's Ship-Launched Missiles Actually Costs The War Zone · Dec 11, 2020$4.319MThen-year $
- Unit cost (per round)Army Mid-Range Capability SM-6 Block IA buy, FY 2027 request P-5: $5,497.643K per missile for 14 (FY2026 $5,448.667K for 6). Navy WPN book not machine-fetchable.Army FY 2027 Budget Estimates: Missile Procurement, Army Justification Book U.S. Army, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller)$5.498MThen-year $ · 14 units
1Missiles & Munitions 5-17. Annual research, development, test and evaluation funding in the March 2024 budget presentation; FY2024 and FY2025 are request figures. Not a lifetime R&D total or actual expenditure.
2Funding scope includes procurement support; FY2024 and FY2025 are request figures. Do not read changes as standalone hardware-price inflation.
| Fiscal year | Appropriation | Request | Enacted | Qty | Budget line | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2027 | RDT&E | $539M | — | — | — | Program Acquisition Cost by Weapon System: Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request Office of the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) · Apr 21, 2026 |
| FY2027 | Procurement | $4.33B | — | 540 | — | Program Acquisition Cost by Weapon System: Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request Office of the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) · Apr 21, 2026 |
| FY2027 | Total | $4.87B | — | 540 | — | Program Acquisition Cost by Weapon System: Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request Office of the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) · Apr 21, 2026 |
| FY2026 | RDT&E | $413M | $512M | — | — | Program Acquisition Cost by Weapon System: Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request Office of the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) · Apr 21, 2026 |
| FY2026 | Procurement | $850M | $1.41B | 166 | — | Program Acquisition Cost by Weapon System: Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request Office of the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) · Apr 21, 2026 |
| FY2026 | Total | $1.26B | $1.92B | 166 | — | Program Acquisition Cost by Weapon System: Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request Office of the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) · Apr 21, 2026 |
| FY2025 | RDT&E | — | $288M | — | — | Program Acquisition Cost by Weapon System: Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request Office of the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) |
| FY2025 | Procurement | — | $694M | 78 | — | Program Acquisition Cost by Weapon System: Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request Office of the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) |
| FY2025 | Total | — | $983M | 78 | — | Program Acquisition Cost by Weapon System: Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request Office of the Under Secretary of War (Comptroller) |
Development and production cover different variants
The FY2025 procurement request buys Block IA rounds while development funding supports Block IB and other improvements. Annual R&D therefore is not an extra charge on each Block IA round.
FY2025 Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System DoD Comptroller · Mar 2024
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 / Navy → RTX / RaytheonFive years plus two option years. Announced upper value is not current obligations; quantity not disclosed. | Maximum multiyear contract value | $24.4B | — | SM-6 five-year contract with two option years, up to $24.4B RTX · figure Oct 1, 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. The displayed R&D reference is annual funding or a specified multi-year request window, not a verified lifetime total. 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.
Contracts$3.33B obligated since FY2008
Contractors2
- RTX$3.33B 100%
- General Dynamics$3.6M 0.1%
Awards6
- RTXFY24 SM-6 BLK IA TAC AURU.S. Navy · Definitive Contract · Dec 20, 2024$908Mobligated · up to $1.12B ceiling
- RTXSM DLMF/ILMF REPAIRS & MAINTENANCEU.S. Navy · Definitive Contract · Sep 29, 2023$484Mobligated · up to $671M ceiling
- RTXENGINEERING & TECHNICAL SUPPORTU.S. Navy · Definitive Contract · Sep 28, 2023$228Mobligated · up to $379M ceiling
- RTXSM-6 BLK IA TACTICAL ALL UP ROUND (AUR)U.S. Navy · Definitive Contract · Dec 20, 2019$1.42Bobligated · up to $1.57B ceiling
- General Dynamics21 INCH DIA EXTENDED RANGE ROCKET MOTORU.S. Navy · Definitive Contract · Sep 30, 2019$3.6Mobligated · up to $6.7M ceiling
- RTXFISCAL YEAR 2017 THROUGH FISCAL YEAR 2021 U.S. NAVY, OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, AND FOREIGN MILITARY SALES, STANDARD MISSILE (SM) ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL SERVICES. IGF::OT::IGFU.S. Navy · Definitive Contract · Apr 17, 2017$292Mobligated · up to $533M ceiling
Obligations are signed USAspending prime-contract actions coded to this program, FY2008 to date, credited to the company that received each action. Obligations are money committed, not company revenue.