The head of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) this week said several current missile defense systems likely have a capability to defend against hypersonic threats and plans to procure hundreds of Standard Missile (SM-6) interceptors will help allow salvo defense.
MDA Director Vice Adm. Jon Hill testified before the Senate Armed Services’ subcommittee on strategic forces on Tuesday that there is some capability to intercept hypersonic missiles through several current programs, including Patriot, Standard Missile (SM-6), and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) programs.
“I would say that we have capability within Patriot. It was not a requirement that flowed to the system, but it’s got the natural ability to do it because it’s a cruise missile killer and if you have a fast maneuvering cruise missile, it can bite off part of that threat,” Hill said in response to questions from subcommittee chairman Sen. Angus King (I-Maine).
He added that SM-6 missiles launched by Aegis systems have been dealing with maneuvering low altitude cruise missile threats for decades and “taking that missile with its ability and going after hypersonics makes good sense, which is why we used it for sea-based terminal [defense].”
Likewise, while THAAD has not been tested against hypersonic missile threats, Hill said he thinks “there’s likely some capability that can be leveraged there.”
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, John Plumb, also admitted during the hearing that via open source information, a Ukrainian-operated Patriot system intercepted a Russian hypersonic missile in recent days.
The Defense Department’s fiscal year 2024 budget request includes a request to allow the Pentagon to use multi-year procurement contracts for several munitions, including the Raytheon Technologies [RTX] RIM-174 SM-6 (Defense Daily, March 13).
It specifically seeks to buy up to 825 SM-6 Block IA missiles in a five-year multi-year procurement contract lasting from FY 2024 through 2028.
DoD budget documents argue this would use economic order quantity advance procurement funds to achieve “maximum savings in price,” of $508 million or 13.6 percent in savings.
Plumb argued in favor of this plan during the hearing because “once you have a proven capability, being able to buy it in large lots gives you insight into how the missile performs. It’s much better than just building a few at a time it’s a much better way to do your statistics on your manufacturing and how it works.”
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said during the hearing he views this plan as, in part, to counter China’s hypersonic missile developments in the short term and that it allows salvo defense plans. Hill admitted as much.
“That is true, sir. In air defense it’s really an operational question because it will vary but most commanding officers of a ship, most commanding officers of a battery will determine what their salvo size is based on the threat and numbers that they’re dealing with,” Hill said.
Hill noted it is important for defenders, whether a ship or ground system, to have an “arsenal” of missiles to conduct fine tune tracking and then launch and control the SM-6s for intercept.
He added the large number is needed “because…the threat can be defined as big, big numbers, very high speed and maneuvering.”
The SM-6s are built in Kelly’s state of Arizona.
Kelly also got Hill to confirm the SM-6 can match the cross range of hypersonic missiles under development by China for now.
“I think in this environment, I can say, yes, that we are matched very well with the threat where it is today. We’re going to have to continue to improve our missile capability. At some point we will over match the G [forces] capability of that missile frame.”