US Defense Department signs deals to accelerate SM-3 missile production

WASHINGTON, United States — WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Defense announced Friday it has signed two agreements with Boeing and RTX to increase production of critical components for SM-3 Block IB and SM-3 Block IIA missiles. The missiles are launched from ships and used for air defense as part of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. Michael Daffey, the department's acquisition official, said the deals are intended to ensure combat forces receive needed munitions on time. Boeing will serve as the prime contractor for the production of SM-3 Block IIA and Block IB components, a step the Pentagon said will shorten the timeline for delivering the missiles to the U.S. Navy. The announcement comes as the department works to rebuild critical weapons stockpiles. President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed the state of U.S. munitions reserves at a cabinet meeting at Camp David on July 31. The new defense budget proposal had earmarked tens of billions of dollars for missile production, but the plan has stalled in Congress after Democratic objections, leaving the Pentagon's plans to replenish key weapons stocks uncertain. A report by the American Enterprise Institute found that some of the Defense Department's targets rely on assumptions of major increases in defense industrial production capacity. No further details on the timeline for increased SM-3 production were immediately available.