Royal Australian Navy’s new missile bolsters defense capabilities, deterrence

FORUM Staff

The Royal Australian Navy has successfully test-fired the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6), an advanced long-range missile with multiple capabilities that reflects the Australian government’s commitment to enhancing deterrence.

Sailors aboard the Australian destroyer HMAS Sydney launched the versatile weapon during exercise Pacific Dragon near Hawaii in August 2024. Adding the SM-6 to the Navy’s arsenal is a “significant milestone” in increasing the lethality, defensive posture and long-range strike ability of its surface combatant fleet, the Australian Defence Force said, and is consistent with the government’s National Defence Strategy.

The SM-6 will be deployed on the Navy’s three Hobart-class guided-missile destroyers and eventually its Hunter-class frigates. Paired with an Aegis Baseline 9 combat system, it enables Sailors to track and eliminate airborne threats, including aircraft, and ballistic and cruise missiles.

The SM-6 can strike maritime, land and air targets at an estimated range of 370 kilometers, enabling operators to attain sea control and other objectives with less exposure to enemy fire.

Before the test launch, Australian personnel collected data and helped with communications and tracking of an SM-6 test fired from a United States Navy ship in March 2024, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency reported. The missile intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile fired as a trial target.

“Standard Missile 6 is being acquired from the United States and will provide Navy’s surface combatants with an enhanced air and missile defence capability, increasing the fleet’s lethality and survivability,” Pat Conroy, Australia’s defense industry minister, said in a news release. “The ability to deter an adversary from extended ranges and to deter attempts to project power against Australia is a core part of the National Defence Strategy.”

The U.S. has used the SM-6 and other missiles to counter ballistic missile threats from Iran and its proxies in the Middle East, U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro testified before the U.S. Congress in April 2024.

With tensions high in the Indo-Pacific, Australia is enhancing its defense capabilities, including partnering with Washington to upgrade military bases that host U.S. military personnel. The moves support the National Defence Strategy, which calls for “an integrated, focused force capable of safeguarding Australia’s security for decades to come.”

The U.S. Navy has deployed an air-launched version of the SM-6 missile, the AIM-174B, in the Indo-Pacific, Reuters reported. The AIM-174B is compatible with Australian military aircraft.