RIM-161 Standard Missile 3

The **RIM-161 Standard Missile 3** (**SM-3**) is a ship-based surface-to-air missile system used by the United States Navy to intercept short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles as a part of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. Although primarily designed as an anti-ballistic missile, the SM-3 has also been employed in an anti-satellite capacity against a satellite at the lower end of low Earth orbit. The SM-3 is primarily used and tested by the United States Navy and also operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. In the New World, Japan is the primary user of the said weapon.

## Description

The SM-3 evolved from the proven SM-2 Block IV design. The SM-3 uses the same solid rocket booster and dual thrust rocket motor as the Block IV missile for the first and second stages and the same steering control section and midcourse missile guidance for maneuvering in the atmosphere. To support the extended range of an exo-atmospheric intercept, additional missile thrust is provided in a new third stage for the SM-3 missile, containing a dual pulse rocket motor for the early exo-atmospheric phase of flight.

The highly modified Block IIA missile shares only the first-stage motor with the Block I. The Block IIA was "designed to allow for Japan to protect against a North Korean attack with fewer deployed ships" but it is also the key element of the EPAA phase 3 deployment in Europe. The Block IIA is being jointly developed by Raytheon and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; the latter manages "the third-stage rocket motor and nose cone". The U.S. budgeted cost to date is $1.51 billion for the Block IIA.

## Specifications

* **Type:** Kinetic Surface-to-Air Missile (Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System)
* **Mass:** 1.5 tons
* **Lenght:** 6.55 m (21 ft 6 in)
* **Diameter:**
	+ 34.3 cm (13.5 in) for Block I missiles
	+ 53.3 cm (21 in) for Block II
* **Warhead:** Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile (LEAP) kinetic warhead
* **Wingspan:** 1.57 m (62 in.)
* **Propellant:**
	+ Stage 1: MK 72 Booster, solid-fuel, Aerojet
	+ Stage 2: MK 104 Dual Thrust Rocket Motor (DTRM), solid-fuel, Aerojet
	+ Stage 3: MK 136 Third Stage Rocket Motor (TSRM), solid-fuel, ATK
	+ Stage 4: Throttleable Divert and Attitude Control System (TDACS), [Aerojet]
* **Operational Range:**
	+ **Block IA/B:** 900 km (560 miles)
	+ **Block IIA:** 1,200 km range and 900 - 2500km ceiling (depending on the type of target)
* **Maximum speed:**
	+ 3 km/s (Mach 10) Block IA/B
	+ 4.5-5 km/s (Mach 16-18) Block IIA
* **Guidance system:**
	+ GPS/INS/semi-active radar homing/passive LWIR infrared homing seeker (KW)

## Operation History in the New World

The missile's first recorded use was during the Conflict at Silkark Kingdom. After the destruction of his Kingdom's Pal Chimera Flying Battleship, Warrior King Minett was convinced by the agitator Menas to use ancient divine magic to summon fragments of space debris to fall on the JMSDF's fleet. The fragments were detected by the *Chokai*, which mistook them for ballistic missiles due to their trajectory, speed, and elevation. The ship's captain ordered 6 SM-3s launched at the three fragments, successfully intercepting them all.