Pentagon signs framework deals with Boeing, RTX to boost SM-3 interceptor component production

Published Aug 14, 07:57 PM UTC

The Pentagon signed two seven-year framework agreements with Boeing and RTX to expand production of critical components for the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3), the U.S. Navy's primary ship-launched ballistic missile interceptor. The deals cover avionics and ejector assemblies supplied by Boeing to prime contractor Raytheon for both the SM-3 Block IB and Block IIA variants, which operate with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. The frameworks allow Boeing to begin building components before a full contract is in place, providing supply chain certainty to boost production capacity. Demand for the interceptor has surged following combat use in April 2024, when Navy destroyers fired SM-3s to thwart an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel, and subsequent launches in Operation Epic Fury. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated the SM-3 inventory at 414 as of December 2025, with wartime expenditures between 130 and 250 missiles, warning replenishment will take years. Congress has intervened to keep the cheaper Block IB line open after the Missile Defense Agency proposed ending purchases.