U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class Destroyer USS Carney Fires SM-2 Missiles to Destroy Aerial Drones.

The U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG-64) successfully launched Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) surface-to-air interceptors and destroyed aerial target drones during a live-fire exercise in the Atlantic Ocean. The successful engagements demonstrated the warship's ability to detect, track, and neutralize airborne threats using its Aegis combat system, reinforcing a critical defensive capability previously employed against hostile missiles and drones during combat operations in the Red Sea.

U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG-64) successfully intercepted aerial target drones with SM-2 surface-to-air missiles during a live-fire exercise in the Atlantic Ocean. (Picture source: U.S. Navy)

The exercise matters to the U.S. Navy because it strengthens the operational readiness of its Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer fleet against the growing threat of cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and coordinated aerial attacks. By conducting live missile interceptions rather than relying exclusively on simulated engagements, the Navy can validate combat-system performance, improve crew proficiency, and sustain the layered air-defense capabilities required to protect aircraft carrier strike groups, deployed warships, and strategic maritime routes.

According to information the U.S. Navy released on October 15, 2026, the Live Fire With a Purpose (LFWAP) exercise took place on September 30 and October 1, following extensive simulated combat training, tactical rehearsals, and crew preparation. The successful firings confirmed the destroyer's ability to execute live air-defense engagements under realistic training conditions.

During the exercise, USS Carney used live SM-2 missiles to engage aerial target drones, moving beyond simulated scenarios to conduct actual missile interceptions. The firing tested the interaction between the ship's radar, Aegis combat system, weapons-control equipment, and Mk 41 Vertical Launching System, while requiring sailors to execute the procedures associated with a real air-defense engagement.

Lieutenant Commander Dennis Morral, the destroyer's combat systems officer, explained that the exercise let sailors launch operational SM-2 missiles against real airborne targets. This live-fire training lets crews practice the rapid decision-making, weapons coordination, and engagement procedures needed to defend a warship against incoming aerial threats.

The SM-2 is a medium- to long-range surface-to-air interceptor designed to protect U.S. Navy warships and naval formations against hostile aircraft and cruise missiles. Integrated with the Aegis combat system, the missile uses midcourse guidance updates and terminal homing to intercept airborne threats at long ranges from the defended ship. Depending on the variant, the missile can engage targets beyond 160 kilometers, though actual performance depends on engagement conditions and target characteristics.

USS Carney is a Flight I Arleigh Burke-class destroyer equipped with the Aegis combat system, AN/SPY-1 phased-array radar, and Mk 41 Vertical Launching System. Together, these systems enable the ship to detect and track aerial threats, calculate engagement solutions, and launch defensive missiles against targets approaching the destroyer or nearby naval units. The Navy did not disclose the specific SM-2 variant used, the number of missiles fired, or the interception distances achieved during the exercise.

The Atlantic live-fire exercise matters because USS Carney gained extensive combat experience during its 2023–2024 deployment to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. During that deployment, the destroyer repeatedly engaged drones and missiles launched by Houthi forces from Yemen, becoming one of the most prominent U.S. Navy warships involved in defending maritime traffic and naval forces against aerial attacks.

On October 19, 2023, USS Carney intercepted 15 drones and four land-attack cruise missiles during a prolonged engagement in the Red Sea, according to a subsequent U.S. Navy account. The ship continued conducting defensive operations in the following months, including the interception of an anti-ship ballistic missile and three Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles in the Gulf of Aden on January 31, 2024.

These engagements provided direct operational experience against threats resembling those that modern naval air-defense systems are designed to defeat. They also demonstrated the importance of maintaining the ability to identify and engage multiple aerial targets, particularly when missiles and drones threaten commercial shipping, naval vessels, and strategically important maritime corridors.

The latest Atlantic exercise therefore represents more than a routine missile firing for USS Carney. It allowed the destroyer's crew to sustain and validate air-defense procedures associated with missions the ship has already performed under combat conditions. Although the exercise used training targets rather than hostile weapons, the successful SM-2 engagements reinforced the ship's missile-defense equipment and combat personnel readiness.

The experience gained in the Red Sea also illustrates why the U.S. Navy continues to invest significant training resources in conventional surface-to-air missile engagements. Modern maritime threats increasingly combine unmanned aerial vehicles, anti-ship cruise missiles, and other airborne weapons that can approach naval forces from multiple directions. Effective air defense requires not only advanced sensors and interceptors but also crews who can use those systems rapidly and reliably.

For USS Carney, the live-fire activity followed a sequence of simulated engagements and tactical preparations to ensure sailors could execute the full engagement process. Senior Chief Fire Controlman (Aegis) Aaron Mattox emphasized the importance of building confidence among personnel who operate the destroyer's combat systems, especially when transitioning from simulated training to live missile launches.

The exercise also highlighted the SM-2's continued operational value within the U.S. Navy's layered air-defense architecture. While newer interceptors provide additional defensive options, the SM-2 remains a key weapon for engaging aircraft and cruise missiles, helping preserve other missile inventories for threats that require different interception capabilities.

This readiness requirement is especially relevant as U.S. naval forces operate in regions where relatively inexpensive unmanned aircraft and more sophisticated guided missiles can threaten high-value warships. Experience from the Red Sea has shown that successful naval defense depends on sustained combat-system performance, the availability of suitable interceptors, and crews' ability to maintain proficiency during repeated engagements.

The Atlantic exercise did not introduce a new missile capability or extend USS Carney's engagement range. Instead, it confirmed the continued effectiveness of an existing air-defense capability through successful live missile interceptions, demonstrating the destroyer's ability to execute its assigned defensive mission.

For the U.S. Navy, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney's successful SM-2 firings underscore the link between combat experience and sustained operational readiness. Having already confronted missile and drone attacks in the Red Sea, the destroyer demonstrated through live training that its crew and Aegis air-defense system remain prepared to perform the interception missions essential to protecting U.S. naval formations and maritime traffic against evolving aerial threats.

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Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.