The Missile Defense Agency (MDA), U.S. Navy, and Lockheed Martin conducted a missile defense test on March 24 off the coast of Hawaii to assess the U.S. military’s ability to track and respond to hypersonic threats.
The test, known as Flight Test Other-40 (FTX-40) or “Stellar Banshee,” involved the USS Pinckney (DDG 91), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer equipped with the Aegis combat system and the Sea-Based Terminal (SBT) Increment 3 upgrade.
During the exercise, the ship detected, tracked, and simulated an engagement against a maneuvering hypersonic target designed to mimic real-world threats.
The live phases of FTX-40 took place over the Pacific Ocean near the Pacific Missile Range Facility off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii.
The test involved a simulated Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) interceptor and an MRBM modified with a Hypersonic Target Vehicle (HTV-1) front end for realism. However, no actual missile was launched; this was only a tracking and engagement simulation.
The test also evaluated the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) satellite, which helps detect and track fast-moving missile threats from space.
This test is part of the U.S. military’s efforts to develop a layered missile defense system, integrating space-based tracking, shipborne sensors, and advanced interceptors to counter emerging hypersonic threats from adversaries like China and Russia. The data from FTX-40 will help prepare for future live intercept tests and improve U.S. missile defense capabilities.
“Our Aegis Combat System successfully defended against a simulated hypersonic threat,” said Chandra Marshall, vice president of Multi-Domain Combat Solutions at Lockheed Martin. “Aegis Baseline 9’s hypersonic defense advantage against a MRBM target brings incredible capability that allows our warfighter to see the unseen, sooner, ensuring our sailors get in front of threats quickly.”
SM-6 & Its Role In Missile Defense
Also known as RIM-174, the SM-6 is a highly versatile, ship-launched missile developed by Raytheon for the U.S. Navy. It is capable of engaging air, surface, and ballistic missile threats. It entered operational service in November 2013, with the USS Kidd (DDG-100) being the first ship to deploy it.
The SM-6 missile has been deployed across various U.S. military installations, including naval bases and land-based systems. It is operational on U.S. Navy warships and has been integrated into the Army’s Strategic Mid-Range Fires System.
It has been deployed to Japan, Australia, and South Korea. It is planned for deployment on Japan’s Maya-class destroyers by 2026. Australia has tested it during military exercises, and South Korea has acquired it to enhance regional security.
While FTX-40 demonstrated the SM-6’s capabilities in simulated conditions, its effectiveness in active combat has already been proven.
While FTX-40 was a simulation, the SM-6 has already proven its effectiveness in real combat. Last year, it was used against Houthi-launched threats in the Gulf of Aden, marking its first known operational use.
Earlier, the U.S. deployed the Typhon missile system in the northern Philippines, armed with SM-6 and Tomahawk missiles, to strengthen regional defense.
The move drew strong criticism from China, which claimed it threatened stability in the South China Sea. While the U.S. and the Philippines defended the deployment, Beijing repeatedly protested.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. dismissed China’s objections, urging Beijing to remove its own missiles and withdraw from disputed areas if it truly wanted peace.
The SM-6 is being upgraded to counter new threats; the SM-6 Block IB features a larger rocket motor and a redesigned body, improving its range, speed, and ability to intercept hypersonic missiles.
Hypersonic Threats
Hypersonic threats against the U.S. are a major concern for its security.
The US Department of Defense lauds China as the world leader in hypersonic technology. China is ahead of the US and Russia in developing conventional and nuclear-capable hypersonic weapons.
Russia possesses weapons such as the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Moscow also has the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile designed for anti-ship and land attack operations.
These systems are engineered to evade advanced defense networks. Russia made headlines last year by unveiling a new medium-to-intermediate-range ballistic missile named Oreshnik. According to the Kremlin, this missile features ambiguous “hypersonic technology, which was used against Ukraine.
Iran has introduced what it claims to be hypersonic ballistic missiles like the Fattah-2, capable of speeds up to Mach 15 and designed to evade defenses through trajectory changes and maneuverability. Their missile program presents a significant regional threat.
North Korea has tested hypersonic missiles, including intermediate-range systems with hypersonic warheads. As per claims, these missiles can travel at speeds exceeding Mach 12 and maneuver unpredictably, making them challenging for current missile defenses to counter.
The Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) could possibly play a key role in countering hypersonic threats with its advanced guidance systems, radar homing, and inertial navigation. With a range of up to 370 kilometers, it enhances anti-air, ballistic missile, and anti-ship defense, making it an essential part of modern U.S. missile defense.
Expanding U.S. Missile Defense Capabilities
Apart from SM-6, several other key missile defense systems play crucial roles in the U.S. missile defense network.
Ground-based midcourse Defense (GMD) is capable of intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles. It achieves this by using ground-based interceptors deployed in Alaska, designed to destroy threats in space during the midcourse phase of their flight.
Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (Aegis BMD) is a sea-based system deployed on U.S. Navy ships and some land-based sites. The system employs interceptors to target short—to intermediate-range ballistic missiles while they are in space. Additionally, it utilizes SM-6 missiles to provide enhanced protection by intercepting missiles in their terminal phase.
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is a mobile, land-based system designed to counter short—and medium-range ballistic missiles during their terminal descent phase. It relies on hit-to-kill technology to effectively destroy incoming threats.
Several other key missile defense systems play a crucial role in the U.S. missile defense network.
Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) is built to intercept tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and advanced aircraft. It includes several key components: a phased array radar, an engagement control station, a battery command post, an electric power plant, an antenna mast group, a communications relay system, and missile launch stations.
Aegis Ashore, a land-based extension of Aegis BMD, is stationed in Romania and Poland and provides missile defense for NATO against potential threats from the Middle East and Russia.
For short-range air defense, the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) is deployed to protect critical sites like Washington, D.C.
To address hypersonic threats, the U.S. is developing the Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI), which will target hypersonic glide vehicles before they reach their targets, complementing existing missile defense systems.
Enhancing defenses against hypersonic missile threats has been highlighted as a key goal in President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative. The initial executive order proposed integrating cutting-edge technologies such as space-based radars, missile interceptors, and laser weapons to detect and neutralize incoming threats.
By: ET News Desk
