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Raytheon Evolved SeaSparrow (ESSM) program delivers 2,000th missile

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Naval Defense Industry News - USA
 
 
 
Raytheon Evolved SeaSparrow (ESSM) program delivers 2,000th missile
 

Raytheon Company delivered the 2,000th Evolved SeaSparrow Missile to the NATO SeaSparrow Consortium. "ESSM is a model for global operations, and the delivery of our 2,000th missile demonstrates the significant commitment of our international team to continue providing this critical capability to the warfighter," said Ed Roesly, Raytheon Missile Systems' ESSM program director. "We have delivered ESSMs for a decade and expect continued production past 2017."
     
Raytheon Company delivered the 2,000th Evolved SeaSparrow Missile to the NATO SeaSparrow Consortium. "ESSM is a model for global operations, and the delivery of our 2,000th missile demonstrates the significant commitment of our international team to continue providing this critical capability to the warfighter," said Ed Roesly, Raytheon Missile Systems' ESSM program director. "We have delivered ESSMs for a decade and expect continued production past 2017."
RIM-162 ESSM launch from USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), July 2010
(Picture: US Navy)
     
Deployed by the U.S. Navy and 11 international fleets, ESSM defends the battlespace by delivering ship self-defense firepower against high-G maneuvering anti-ship cruise missiles, as well as surface and low-velocity air threats. As a tail-controlled missile, ESSM uses recent enhancements to its guidance system to take advantage of improved seeker sensitivity, increased propulsion and greater weapon accuracy. Combined, these features result in ESSM arriving at the intercept point with more speed and agility to counter the threat.
     
     
About ESSM
With more than 200 at-sea firings, ESSM is a medium-range, all-weather, semi-active radar-guided missile used in surface-to-air and surface-to-surface roles by the U.S. It is currently deployed by 11 international customers. ESSM represents more than four decades of technology and design improvements by a 43-year international cooperative partnership composed of 12 nations, 10 of which employ ESSM. The program continues to conduct studies to identify improvement opportunities for ESSM to pace the threat with advanced capabilities.

Transformational Anti-ship Missile Defense Capabilities

As a tail-controlled missile, ESSM uses enhancements to its guidance system to take advantage of improved seeker sensitivity, increased propulsion and greater weapon accuracy. These features enable ESSM to arrive at the intercept point with more endgame speed and agility to counter the threat.

ESSM Contribution to Warfighters

* Capability bridges the gap between close-in air defense and local area defense systems.
* Kinematics result in reduced time to target.
* Multi-mission weapon system is effective against high-speed or low-velocity threats.