Pentagon signs seven-year deals with Boeing, RTX to boost SM-3 missile component production

Published Aug 14, 07:57 PM UTC

The Pentagon signed two seven-year framework agreements with Boeing and RTX on August 14, 2026, 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 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 final contract is negotiated, providing supply chain certainty. No dollar figures or quantities were disclosed. The agreements mirror a similar April 2026 deal to triple PAC-3 seeker production. Demand for SM-3s surged after Navy destroyers first used them in combat in April 2024 to thwart an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel, with further launches during 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. Congress has intervened to keep the cheaper Block IB line open after the Missile Defense Agency proposed ending purchases.