Yesterday, June 4th, a flight of a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet carrying a new version of the SM-6 surface-to-air missile, also known as RIM-174 (ERAM), was recorded. The aircraft belonged to the VX-9 “Vampires” Test and Evaluation Squadron, operating out of Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake.
The information comes from photographs taken by the social media user @StinkJet, who was photographing other planes when he heard on the radio that an F/A-18 Super Hornet would be flying nearby: “I was photographing other planes in R-2508 and heard some VX-9 activity on the radio (…) Ten or fifteen minutes later, we heard the plane overhead and I took a couple of photos because we don’t usually see planes with orange test armament. I also thought the missile looked much larger than the standard stuff we’re used to seeing, so I stuck with the shots.”
It should be noted that this is not the first time a Super Hornet has been seen carrying a modified SM-6 missile. In 2021, another U.S. Navy F/A-18 was spotted with an inert SM-6 without its MK72 first-stage booster, sparking rumors about a new Raytheon development aimed at converting the naval SM-6 missile into an air-to-air weapon system.
Currently, the SM-6 missile is a key component for the air defense of U.S. Navy ships equipped with the Aegis combat system against aircraft and drones. The long-range missile also has capabilities to intercept ballistic missiles in their terminal phase and can be used as an anti-ship missile. The SM-6 is based on the SM-2ER Block IV (RIM-156A) missile design, incorporating an active radar seeker derived from the AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile. The system can reach speeds of up to Mach 3.5 and has an estimated range of 130 nautical miles.
It’s worth noting that this capability has already been employed by the U.S. Navy. Recently, in the Gulf of Aden, the USS Carney used these types of missiles to intercept anti-ship missiles launched by Houthi rebels threatening maritime commerce in the region.
Moreover, the development of this system also considers the potential outbreak of a conflict with China, as the People’s Liberation Army Air Force possesses similar weapons already adapted for air deployment, such as the PL-15 and PL-17 missiles. These have ranges exceeding any missile in the Navy’s inventory, making the development of this new capability crucial for countering these emerging threats.
*Image credits: @StinkJet
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