Does Putin fear a US Navy anti-aircraft missile?

The speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday night—in which he announced Moscow would formally recognise two breakaway regions of Ukraine—is being analysed threadbare globally.

Putin's speech, which lasted around 40 minutes, has been described by critics as “rambling” and full of conspiracy theories about threats to Russia.

Putin devoted considerable time in his speech to the expansion of NATO and the deployment of US weapon systems in countries close to Russia, such as Poland and Romania. Putin said “... in Romania and Poland, as part of the US project to create a global missile defence system, position areas for anti-missiles are being deployed. It is well known that the launchers located here can be used for Tomahawk cruise missiles—strike offensive systems.”

The Tomahawk cruise missile is considered one of the US Navy's primary weapons to strike land targets over 1,500km away.

Interestingly, Putin also referred to a surface-to-air missile that the US Navy began introducing to service only in 2013: The Standard Missile 6 (or SM-6). Putin said “... the United States is developing the Standard-6 universal missile, which, along with solving the problems of air defence and anti-missile defence, can hit both ground and surface targets. That is, the supposedly defensive US missile defence system is expanding and new offensive capabilities are emerging.”

Putin referred to the weapons to argue that Ukraine could serve as a “springboard” for “pre-emptive strike” by NATO and the US against Russia.

Universal missile?

Putin is not the first person to talk about the SM-6 system's versatility. Its manufacturer, Raytheon, states the SM-6 is “three missiles in one”. Raytheon declares the SM-6 is the only weapon “that can perform anti-air warfare, ballistic missile defense and anti-surface warfare missions. The system offers navies more flexibility in limited ship space—and it’s enabling the U.S. and its allies to cost-effectively increase the offensive might of surface forces.”

The SM-6 is considered an evolution of the Standard Missile 2 surface-to-air missile that was designed in the 1970s and meant to shoot down aircraft and anti-ship missiles. The SM-6 differs from its predecessors by virtue of its more powerful rocket motor and advanced radar seeker, which is derived from the sensor used on the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM).

The SM-6 is believed to have a range well in excess of 300km, considerably greater than earlier systems. The advanced seeker allows the SM-6 to seek and engage targets without guidance from a launch ship's radars, ensuring greater versatility.

In 2016, the US Navy fired the SM-6 against a decommissioned ship to highlight the weapon's capability in an anti-ship role. The test was significant as the US Navy's existing anti-ship missiles, such as the Tomahawk and Harpoon, travel at less than the speed of sound. The SM-6, in comparison, has a speed of around 3.5 times that of sound. The capability of the SM-6 to hit ships is considered a major boost for the US as rivals such as Russia and China have operated supersonic anti-ship missiles for decades.

Writing in War on the Rocks in February 2016, commentator James Holmes noted “the SM-6 is a speedy missile, meaning kinetic energy will amplify its punch. But its blast fragmentation warhead is probably too small to sink major warships. A 'mission kill' that temporarily disables an enemy is a more reasonable prospect.”

In November 2020, the US Army announced it had selected the Tomahawk and SM-6 for its new 'midrange capability'. The US Army expedited work on the midrange capability weapon system after the Donald Trump administration withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia in 2019. The Trump administration had claimed Russia was violating provisions of the INF treaty by developing new land-based missiles, even as the US had to deal with China's growing arsenal of land-based ballistic and cruise missiles.

Breaking Defense explained the US Army's decision to select two missiles. “The Tomahawks come in relatively low and slow, trying to get under radar, while the SM-6s fly high and fast. A missile defense that stops one may not stop the other, complicating the enemy’s countermeasures,” Breaking Defense had reported in 2020.

The possible deployment in Europe of the SM-6, despite its relatively low range, would present a worry for Russian planners. The missile's velocity would make it optimal for hitting targets such as tracking radars and command and control sites.

Distributed lethality

While the SM-6 has significantly lower range than the Tomahawk cruise missile and is also believed to cost more, a key attribute of the weapon is its support of 'distributed lethality'.

The concept of distributed lethality envisions placement of offensive weapon systems on a large number of platforms or locations to deter possible enemy action. Distributed lethality has come into focus in recent years, given the rise of China's navy and growing stress on the US defence budget.