Interceptor · Multi-domain
Standard Missile 3 (SM-3)
Ship- and land-launched interceptor for ballistic missile defense above the atmosphere.
by RTX
- Milestones1
- Operators—
- Components—
- Programs—
- Capabilities—
- Inputs—
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.
The latest 10 milestones. Solid entries are confirmed, outlined reported, dashed estimated or still to come; dotted italic entries are speculative. Dates show only the precision the sources give.
Cost to the Government
Missiles · RTX / Raytheon
Standard Missile-3 (SM-3)
Block IIA flyaway cost and Block IB contracting remain distinct; the Aegis support budget covers more than the interceptor.
Block IIA flyaway / interceptor
$28.686M
FY2026 base request · Nominal USD; source budget basis
MD14 P-40, Volume 2b p61. Missile-only flyaway figure; canisters and program support increase the gross procurement average.
Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror ↗U.S. inventory
Not verified
A current U.S. inventory was not established. Annual procurement, cumulative deliveries and production capacity are not a stockpile count.
Block IIA base-request interceptors
12
FY2026 · U.S. only; stated source scope
MD14 base request; not all SM-3 variants or inventory.
Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror ↗R&D program total
Not verified
A lifetime program R&D total was not established. Development contracts and shared program budgets are not substituted for that total.
Cost & funding breakdown
Block IIA gross procurement / interceptor
$37.07M
FY2026 base request · Nominal USD; source budget basis
Includes canisters, engineering, obsolescence and other support.
Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror ↗Block IB flyaway / interceptor
$12.5M
FY2024 · PB2026 · Nominal USD; source budget basis
MD09 historical baseline flyaway; a different variant and dollar year from the headline Block IIA figure.
Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror ↗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.
Operations & sustainment
Aegis BMD program O&M request
$152.247M / yr
FY2026 · Nominal USD; source budget basis
OP-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.
Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror ↗Cost over time · 3 observations
Each row retains its original scope and dollar basis. Changing quantities, service life and inflation can change the estimate without changing the price of building one unit.
| Observation | Measure | Amount | Dollar basis | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 · PB2026 | Block IIA flyaway / interceptor MD14 P-40, Volume 2b p61. Missile-only flyaway figure; canisters and program support increase the gross procurement average. | $26.83M | Nominal USD; source budget basis | Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror ↗ |
| FY2025 · PB2026 | Block IIA flyaway / interceptor MD14 P-40, Volume 2b p61. Missile-only flyaway figure; canisters and program support increase the gross procurement average. | $28.703M | Nominal USD; source budget basis | Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror ↗ |
| FY2026 base request | Block IIA flyaway / interceptor MD14 P-40, Volume 2b p61. Missile-only flyaway figure; canisters and program support increase the gross procurement average. | $28.686M | Nominal USD; source budget basis | Missile Defense Agency · CSIS mirror ↗ |
Contracts & purchasing · 1 records
Award values, ceilings and purchase agreements have different meanings. These records are not added together as total spending.
2026-10-08 · Maximum multiyear contract value
U.S. government → RTX / Raytheon
$6.3B · quantity not established
SM-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.
RTX ↗
Connected missiles & systems
Naval launcher and missile
Mk 41 Vertical Launching System →Listed Mk 41 missile family; support depends on launcher configuration and ship combat-system integration.
Lockheed Martin ↗Combat system and interceptor
Aegis Combat System →Aegis BMD integrates ballistic-missile defense; this is a program relationship, not a shared unit-price denominator.
DoD Comptroller ↗Site component
Aegis Ashore
Ashore incorporates launchers and interceptors; component estimates must not be added to a site total that already includes them.
Congressional Budget Office ↗U.S. Navy / NAVSEA ↗
International buyers
No international purchase documented in this review.
Coverage & 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.
- Unit cost (flyaway)Confirmed$29.9MThen-year $ · 22 units
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.
Source - Unit cost (per round)Reported$12.5MEstimate / observation: 2024-05-21 · Then-year $
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.
Source
Earlier cost observations (1)
- Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) · Unit cost (per round) · $11.8MEstimate / observation: 2020-12-11 · Then-year $ · FY2021
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.
Source
| Fiscal year | Appropriation | Request | Enacted | Qty | Budget line | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2027 | Procurement | $5.46B | — | 214 | — | SourceEstimated |
| FY2026 | Procurement | $462M | $1.33B | 54 | — | SourceEstimated |
| FY2025 | Procurement | — | $633M | 18 | — | SourceConfirmed |
Unit costs and contract unit prices for this system, and budget figures for the programs that buy it. Each figure states its dollar basis and links its source; contract values are under Programs & awards.