A member of the Standard Missile family of weapons, the SM-1 was developed as a replacement for the RIM-2 Terrier and RIM-24 Tartar that were deployed in the 1950s on a variety of USN ships.

The RIM-66A/B while looking like the earlier RIM-24C on the exterior is a different missile internally with redesigned electronics and a more reliable homing system and fuze that make it more capable than its predecessor.

[5] The RIM-66C/D Standard MR (SM-2MR Block I) was developed in the 1970s and was a key part of the Aegis combat system and New Threat Upgrade (NTU).

This capability enables the Aegis combat system and New Threat Upgrade equipped vessels to time-share illumination radars, greatly increasing the number of targets that can be engaged in quick succession.

VLS has, since 2003, been the only launcher used for the Standard missile in the U.S. Navy aboard Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

They are now most commonly launched from the Mk 41 VLS, which is a modular design concept with different versions that vary in size and weight.

In June 2017, Raytheon announced it was restarting the SM-2 production line to fulfill purchases made by the Netherlands, Japan, Australia, and South Korea.

On July 3, 1988, USS Vincennes mistakenly shot down Iran Air Flight 655, an Airbus A300B2, using two SM-2MRs from her forward launcher.

[16]On 1 April 2020, a Turkish Navy G-class frigate fired at least a SM-1MR Block VIA RIM-66E-05 supposedly against an UAV operated in support of the Libyan National Army.

[17] On 19 October 2023, the USS Carney fired SM-2s to shoot down three land-attack cruise missiles and eight drones launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.

The interceptions occurred over the Red Sea; although the ship wasn't threatened, the missiles were headed north towards Israel following the start of the 2023 Israel-Hamas War.

[18] From October 2023 to January 2024, several U.S. Navy destroyers downed dozens of missiles and attack drones launched by the Houthis against ships transiting the Red Sea, primarily using SM-2s.

Although the SM-2 effectively intercepted the threats, at a cost of roughly $2.4 million per missile, it is inefficient at shooting down drones, causing concerns about expending them against such cheap targets and depleting a ship's limited VLS capacity.

[19] In February 2024 in a friendly fire incident in the Red Sea, two SM-2s were launched by German frigate Hessen at a US MQ-9 Reaper drone.

The SM-2 incorporates a new autopilot giving it inertial guidance in all phases of flight except for the terminal intercept where semi-active radar homing is still used.

[5] The RIM-66M is the version of the Standard missile two medium-range (SM-2MR) currently in service with the USN aboard Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

Block IIIA missiles are operated by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force on its Kongō-class and Atago-class Aegis destroyers.

South Korean KDX-II destroyers use the block IIIA with a New Threat Upgrade compatible guided missile fire control system.

[24][25] In 2018, the U.S. Navy awarded Raytheon Missile Systems a $149.4 million contract for engineering, manufacturing, and development of the Block IIIC.

[26] In July 2021, the U.S. Navy awarded Raytheon Missile Systems a $45 million contract for the low-rate initial production of the Block IIIC.

[29] In November 2020, the State Department approved the sale of the Block IIIC to Canada for their planned Canadian Surface Combatant class.

Table sources, reference material:[1][4][23][32] The RGM-165 LASM, also given the designation SM-4, was intended as means to give long-range precision fires in support of the US Marine Corps.