Profile
- Type
- Ship-launched multi-mission interceptor missile
- Conflict side
- United States
- Origin
- United States
- Service note
- 2013-present
Air Defense
Standard Missile-6 (SM-6)
The Standard Missile-6 is a U.S. Navy ship-launched multi-mission missile for anti-air warfare, terminal ballistic missile defense, anti-surface warfare, and strike missions. In the United States-Iran Conflict archive, it represents the Aegis destroyer layer of U.S. naval air and missile defense around Iranian missile and maritime threats.
- Conflict side
- United States
- Built in
- United States
_launches_RIM-174_June_2014.JPG)
Service History
- In service
- 2013-present
- Used by
- United States Navy
- Wars
- United States-Iran Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Raytheon
- Built in
- United States
- Variants
- SM-6 Block I, SM-6 Dual I, SM-6 Block IB
Specifications
- Class
- Surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missile
- Range
- About 370 km, according to CSIS Missile Threat
- Length
- 6.55 m
- Diameter
- 0.343 m missile body; 0.530 m with booster
- Guidance
- Inertial and command guidance with an active seeker derived from AMRAAM
- Propulsion
- Mk 72 solid rocket booster and Mk 104 dual-thrust rocket motor
- Speed
- About 1.03 km/s
Conflict Usage
- United States-Iran Conflict
- Side: United StatesRole: Ship-launched air and missile defense
During the United States-Iran Conflict, CSIS reported SM-6 Standard Missile use in Operation Epic Fury, while CENTCOM listed guided-missile destroyers among U.S. naval assets employed in the campaign.
Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) Images
Related Weapon Systems
_is_launched_from_the_vertical_launch_system_(VLS)_aboard_the_Pearl_Harbor_based_Aegis_cruiser_USS_Lake_Erie_(CG-70).jpg?width=480)
Standard Missile-3 (SM-3)Ship- and ground-launched ballistic missile interceptorThe Standard Missile-3 is an exo-atmospheric hit-to-kill interceptor for Aegis ballistic missile defense, and the SM-3 Block IB made the family's first combat intercepts during the United States-Iran Conflict in 2024.
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyerGuided-missile destroyerThe Arleigh Burke class is the U.S. Navy's principal guided-missile destroyer family, built around Aegis sensors, Mk 41 vertical launch cells, and multi-mission air, surface, subsurface, ballistic-missile-defense, and land-attack roles. In the United States-Iran Conflict, official U.S. imagery documented multiple DDG 51-class ships firing Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles during Operation Epic Fury.
S-75 Dvina / SA-2 GuidelineHigh-altitude surface-to-air missile systemThe S-75 Dvina, known to NATO as the SA-2 Guideline, is a Soviet command-guided, high-altitude surface-to-air missile system built around fixed or semi-mobile launch sites, acquisition radar, and Fan Song guidance radar. In the Yemen Civil War, Houthi-aligned forces are documented as having inherited SA-2/S-75 stocks and converting some surviving missiles into Qaher and Muhit strike missiles, while the operational status of intact SA-2 SAM batteries remains uncertain.
Bavar-373 air-defense systemLong-range surface-to-air missile systemBavar-373 is Iran's road-mobile long-range surface-to-air missile system, developed by the Aerospace Industries Organization and upgraded in 2022. In this archive it represents Iran's top domestic long-range air-defense layer, which remained in active U.S.-Iran conflict reporting during the April 2026 exchange of air-defense claims.
Iranian integrated air-defense systemIntegrated air-defense networkThe Iranian integrated air-defense system is the layered national network of radars, command posts, and surface-to-air missiles used to defend Iranian airspace and strategic sites. In the United States-Iran Conflict, Iran said a new air-defense system shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper near the Strait of Hormuz, while U.S. strikes targeted Iranian air-defense capabilities, radar sites, and ground control stations.
IRIS DenaLight guided-missile frigateIRIS Dena is an Iranian Moudge-class light guided-missile frigate built by domestic Iranian shipyards, commissioned in 2021, and sunk by a U.S. submarine in March 2026 during the United States-Iran Conflict.Sources
Standard MissilePublisher: U.S. Navy | Note: Supports SM-6 background, U.S. Navy service context, active-seeker design, and extended-range anti-air warfare role. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Standard Missile-6 (SM-6)Publisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports SM-6 specifications, operational status, ship-launched basing, and multi-mission role. | Accessed: 2026-06-20SM-6 MissilePublisher: Raytheon / RTX | Note: Supports manufacturer context and SM-6 anti-air, anti-surface, and ballistic missile defense roles. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Last Rounds? Status of Key Munitions at the Iran War CeasefirePublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports United States-Iran Conflict used by U.S. forces context: CSIS treats SM-6 as a critical air and missile-defense munition with operational usage estimates in the Iran war. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Rebuilding U.S. Missile Inventory: A Multiyear ProjectPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports United States-Iran Conflict used by U.S. forces context: CSIS specifically discusses SM-6 Standard Missile usage in Operation Epic Fury. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Operation Epic Fury Fact Sheet: April 6, 2026Publisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: Supports United States-Iran Conflict fielded by U.S. naval forces context: CENTCOM listed guided-missile destroyers among Operation Epic Fury assets. | Accessed: 2026-06-20USS John Paul Jones Launches RIM-174 June 2014Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the SM-6 launch image; Wikimedia Commons identifies it as a released U.S. Navy photo. | Accessed: 2026-06-20SM-6 Eram June 2014Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the cropped SM-6 launch gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20