U.S. Agrees to Sell SM-6 Missile Interceptors to South Korea

The State Department has greenlit a $650 million sale of Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) shipborne missile interceptors and related equipment to South Korea, bolstering the Asian ally's security capabilities.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced a potential government-to-government Foreign Military Sale in response to South Korea's request for 38 SM-6 Block I missiles, vertical launch system canisters, training aids, and related equipment.

The DSCA has officially notified Congress, necessitating congressional approval for the sale.

If accepted, the SM-6 interceptors are expected to be deployed on the South Korean Navy's Aegis-equipped KDX-III destroyers to counter evolving North Korean missile threats, providing advanced, longer-range interceptors alongside the currently used SM-2 ship-to-air missiles.

Manufactured by Raytheon Technologies, the SM-6 boasts a 460-kilometer range and is the sole weapon capable of anti-air warfare, ballistic missile defense, and anti-surface warfare missions.