USN orders ESSM Block 2 support from Raytheon
ESSM launch from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower. (Photo: USN/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class J Alexander Delgado)
Raytheon gains contract modification to support ESSM Block 2 full-rate production requirements.
Raytheon has received a $269.03 million contract modification from US Naval Sea Systems Command to support FY2021-FY2023 Evolved Seasparrow Missile (ESSM) Block 2 full-rate production requirements, the DoD announced on 14 December.
Work will be completed by March 2025 at sites in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey and the US.
The RIM-162 ESSM entered service in 2004. Shephard Defence Insight notes that the missile is fitted with a 39kg blast fragmentation warhead, a mid-course update data link, a Mk 143 Mod 0 solid fuel rocket motor, and a semi-active radar homing system or a dual semi-active/active radar homing system.
Block 2 ESSMs include a new guidance system with a dual-mode active and semi-active radar.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![NATO tests use of “undetectable, jam-proof” laser communication in maritime scenarios]()
NATO tests use of “undetectable, jam-proof” laser communication in maritime scenarios
As part of its effort to better prepare its capabilities for operations in contested and congested scenarios, NATO evaluated a Lithuanian ship-to-ship terminal designed to not be susceptible to enemy interference.
-
![Future of the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project is still unclear]()
Future of the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project is still unclear
The Canadian government remains tight-lipped on the timeline and funding required for the next steps of its Canadian Submarine Patrol Project, which should offer improved capabilities for the country’s navy.
-
![Mitsubishi eyes future with Australia’s Mogami selection]()
Mitsubishi eyes future with Australia’s Mogami selection
With Australia’s selection of the Mogami-class for Project Sea 3000, Mitsubishi is investigating local production in the next decade as potential export opportunities emerge.
-
![Thales’ new Sonar 76Nano could equip UK Royal Navy on anti-submarine warfare missions]()
Thales’ new Sonar 76Nano could equip UK Royal Navy on anti-submarine warfare missions
The new sonar is designed to equip uncrewed underwater vessels, with the potential to be used by the Royal Navy for its Atlantic Bastion and Atlantic Net missions.
