Between April 6 and April 13, the U.S. Navy successfully tested four Standard Missile 6 Block 1 (SM-6 Blk 1) interceptors outfitted with the most recent hardware and software packages, designed to improve the system’s air and missile defense and surface warfare capabilities. According to U.S. Navy, two of the flights set SM-6 records for longest downrange and cross range intercepts. According to Captain Michael Ladner, program manager for the Navy’s Surface Ship Weapons program, the success of the tests validates the effectiveness of the software and indicates its readiness for fleet-wide implementation.