HMAS Sydney alongside in Pearl Harbour for RIMPAC 2024 – photo by LSIS Daniel Goodman for Navy News

HMAS Sydney represented Australia at this year’s RIMPAC international exercises around Hawaii.  As reported by Navy News, twenty-nine nations, forty surface ships, three submarines, fourteen national land forces, more than 150 aircraft and 25,000 personnel participated in the exercise which concluded on 1st August. During these exercises Sydney successfully fired a naval strike missile (NSM), and most recently, the first firing by an RAN ship of a standard missile type 6 (SM-6). The SM-6 is a long-range and high-altitude surface to air missile which, when it is matched with suitable radar systems such as the AN/SPY-1 and equivalent CEA system, is capable of providing defence against intercontinental ballistic missiles.

SM-6 launch from HMAS Sydney MK-41 Vertical Launch System – photo by LSIS Daniel Goodman

As reported by DEFENCE CONNECT; The firing of Standard Missile 6 was conducted during Exercise Pacific Dragon 2024, in the vicinity of Hawaii. The Standard Missile 6 complements the Standard Missile 2 already in service. The Standard Missile 6 will be progressively deployed across Navy’s Hobart Class destroyers and, in the future, the Hunter Class frigates.

The milestone enhances the lethality of Navy’s surface combatant fleet, consistent with the Australian federal government’s National Defence Strategy and the Independent Analysis into Navy’s surface combatant fleet. In response to Australia’s challenging strategic circumstances, the federal government is enhancing deterrence by rapidly boosting the Navy’s long-range strike capabilities and providing greater capacity to strike maritime, land, and air targets at longer distances.

The addition of the Standard Missile 6 augments integrated air and missile defence-capable platforms. Australia has three guided missile destroyers (DDG) in service and will add the Aegis Baseline 9 combat system which will provide the ability to counter airborne threats, including ballistic missiles. The ADF is also establishing the underpinning architecture to connect active missile defence systems through the development of the Joint Air Battle Management System which provides the foundation for further capabilities to be added over time.