Story perspectives

Raytheon Wins Up to $6.3B SM-3 Block IB Contract

By Drooid · Oct 9, 2026, 2:37 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Raytheon, an RTX business, won a contract worth up to $6.3 billion for SM-3 Block IB interceptors.
The five-year base award is $4.4 billion, with options adding nearly $2 billion.
Production will occur mainly at Raytheon sites in Tucson, Arizona, and Huntsville, Alabama.
Under Secretary Michael Duffey said the deal provides production certainty and breaks bottlenecks.

History

Historical Context

Reagan’s 1983 Strategic Defense Initiative launched a decades-long push for space-based missile interceptors, leading the 1993 shift to the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and the 2002 creation of the Missile Defense Agency. After Raytheon received its first $400 million SM-3 contract in 1999, Under Secretary Michael Duffey announced a $6.3 billion Block IB award, extending the original SDI trajectory.

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Story summary

Raytheon, an RTX business, won a contract worth up to $6.3 billion for SM-3 Block IB interceptors.
The five-year base award is $4.4 billion, with options adding nearly $2 billion.
Production will occur mainly at Raytheon sites in Tucson, Arizona, and Huntsville, Alabama.
Under Secretary Michael Duffey said the deal provides production certainty and breaks bottlenecks.

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