First Combat Use of US SM-3 Interceptor Missiles Against Iranian Ballistic Missiles
On April 14, 2024, Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyers deployed Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptors for the first time to counter an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel. This operation, conducted in the Eastern Mediterranean, involved the USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) and USS Carney (DDG-64), which fired between four and seven SM-3s to intercept the Iranian ballistic missiles. This marks the first combat use of the SM-3 interceptors, as confirmed by defense sector sources.
According to the Israel Defense Force (IDF), Iran launched a total of 350 missiles and drones at Israel, carrying a combined 60 tons of explosives. The assault included about 120 ballistic missiles, 30 cruise missiles, and 170 drones. The IDF reported that 99% of these were intercepted, mostly before entering Israeli airspace. Reports indicate these launches originated not only from Iran but also from Iraq and Yemen, although it remains unclear which factions were responsible for the launches from these locations.
American destroyers successfully intercepted at least four ballistic missiles during this operation, as reported by CNN and Fox News. The SM-3 interceptors, designed to strike ballistic missiles including ICBMs outside the Earth’s atmosphere during their mid-course phase, are equipped with “kill vehicles” that physically collide with and destroy the target.
The USS Carney and USS Arleigh Burke are equipped with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMD), managed by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in partnership with the US Navy. This system includes elements both at sea and on land, with Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers specially configured, as well as Aegis Ashore installations in Romania and Poland. The SPY-1D radar aboard the ships guided the SM-3s to target the ballistic missiles near the apex of their trajectory before they re-entered the atmosphere to reach their target.
Currently, the USS Burke is part of the contingent of American destroyers stationed at Rota, and the USS Carney was also previously based there as part of this mission. Additionally, BMD destroyers and cruisers also patrol near Japan and South Korea, providing a defense against potential North Korean ballistic missile attacks.