Destroyer USS Sullivans suffers missile explosion shortly after launch

WHAT happens when a million-dollar guided missile misfires when launched from a US Navy warship? This.

WHAT happens when a million-dollar guided missile misfires when launched from a warship? This.

The US Navy guided missile destroyers the USS The Sullivans and USS Carney were engaged in a life-fire exercise off the coast of Virginia a week ago.

It’s not something that happens often.

Hi-tech weaponry is very expensive. So shooting them off is something of a spectacle.

This means there are usually plenty of cameras around.

But, on July 18, it all backfired.

USS The Sullivans had a scare.

Source: US Navy

The medium ranged Standard Missile — 2 (SM2) missile suffered a malfunction as it exited the warship’s forward vertical launch container.

Something caused the solid-fuel rocket booster to explode, leaving the warhead struggling to stay aloft and spiralling slowly to the right.

Burning fragments showered down around the ship: One set off a small fire on the destroyer’s stern.

Source: US Navy

After a few anxious moments, the warhead and its 62kg explosives eventually plunged into the sea alongside.

“There were no injuries and only minor damage to the port side of the ship resulting from missile debris,” a US Navy statement reads. “The ship returned to Naval Station Norfolk for assessment.”

Source: US Navy

The Raytheon SM2 IIIA missile, originally designed in the 1970s, has undergone a long evolution in its role as an aircraft and cruise missile interceptor. This model was introduced in 1991.

Solid state rocket propellant is generally regarded as very safe: Such explosions are extremely rare.

The SM2 is a standard weapon in many Western navies, including Australia’s retiring Adelaide class frigates.