The US Navy wants a lot more of a missile that just recently scored its first kill to counter Pacific threats like China

Wed, 05/01/2024 - 13:05

An SM-3 Block 1B interceptor missile is launched from the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie during a Missile Defense Agency and US Navy test in the Pacific Ocean.
US Navy photo

The US Navy used its SM-3 missile interceptor in combat for the first time last month.
Now, the sea service's top civilian official says the US will need more of them in the future.
His comments referenced the American "deterrence mission in the Indo-Pacific," a nod toward China.

The US Navy will need a lot more of its SM-3 missile, an interceptor that only recently scored its first-ever kill, to counter Pacific threats like China, the sea service's top civilian official said on Wednesday.