The Council of Ministers has authorized the second amendment to the contract for the acquisition of Standard SM-2 Block IIICU missiles, intended to strengthen the air defense capabilities of the Spanish Navy’s F-100 frigates. The amendment has an estimated value of €42,575,028, according to the government’s official statement.
The transaction is part of a program launched in 2024 to equip the F-100s and future F-110s with these missiles and their associated equipment. The initial contract, valued at €65 million, envisaged partially completing the ships’ missile loadouts and replenishing rounds used in training launches and qualification activities.
In November 2025, the government approved a first amendment with an estimated value of €28 million. The new authorization expands that program and does not constitute a separate contract to procure another missile family. The official statement does not specify how many missiles, items of equipment, or services are included in this second amendment.
A variant still under development
The SM-2 Block IIICU is an evolution of the Block IIIC focused on upgrading electronic components and addressing obsolescence. It incorporates a new electronic unit and target-detection device derived from technologies developed for the SM-6 Block IAU, while retaining the warhead and fuze of the previous version.
In April 2024, Raytheon received a $344 million contract to develop the SM-2 Block IIICU and SM-6 Block IU using common components, including the guidance section, target-detection device, and an independent flight-termination system. In July 2025, it secured another contract for the IIICU’s engineering and manufacturing development phase, with work scheduled through September 2031.
The variant remains under development in the United States. U.S. Department of Defense test documentation places its initial operational test and evaluation in fiscal year 2031. The Block IIIC, its predecessor, was operationally deployed by the U.S. Navy during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024.
Air defense for Aegis frigates
The SM-2 Block IIICU is designed for medium-range air defense from ships equipped with the Aegis combat system. Its role includes protecting the ship itself and a wider area against tactical aircraft and anti-ship cruise missiles, as well as responding to multiple air incursions.
Spain’s five F-100 frigates, of the Álvaro de Bazán class, are equipped with Aegis, the SPY-1D radar, and an Mk 41 vertical-launch system with 48 cells for Standard SM-2 and Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles. In 2018, Spain acquired 10 SM-2 Block IIIB missiles and 10 Mk 13 canisters for an estimated €26.1 million; deliveries began in 2022 and were completed in 2024.
