A Raytheon-supplied Standard Missile-3 Block IB interceptor fired from the Navy cruiser USS Lake Erie off the coast of Hawaii successfully collided with and destroyed a target missile over the Pacific Ocean, announced the Missile Defense Agency June 27. The test of this new SM-3 variant took place late on the evening of June 26 local Hawaii time, according to MDA’s release. “Initial indications are that all components performed as designed, resulting in a very accurate intercept,” states the release. “Today’s flight test was the second, back-to-back successful intercept for the newest variant of SM-3, and it further increases our confidence in this weapon’s defensive capabilities,” said Taylor Lawrence, Raytheon Missile Systems president, in the company’s June 27 release. The Block IB missile will be part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach Phase 2 missile defense system; the United States will station land-based SM-3 Block IBs in Romania in 2015 as part of EPAA.
Airman Charged in M18 Shooting Death Found Dead
Oct. 27, 2025
The Airman arrested in connection with the M18 pistol discharge that killed a fellow member of Air Force security forces on July 20 in Wyoming was found dead earlier this month, an Air Force spokesperson confirmed.
