The 60 Year History of Raytheon’s Standard Missile Family

Length: 21 minutes The military called it Operation Bumblebee: a secret program to develop a weapon that -- like the insect -- could take off vertically, change directions instantly and deliver a painful sting. Born in the years after World War II, the U.S. Navy program aimed to create a missile that could defend warships against new weapons like fast-moving fighter jets and the missiles they carried. Standard Missile has evolved from defending ships to protecting entire countries as part of the United Sta