Raytheon's $212.8 million R&D develops Evolved Seasparrow Missile

The US Navy NATO Seasparrow Project Office (NSPO) has granted Raytheon Company $212.8 million for R&D focused on upgrading Evolved Seasparrow Missile (ESSM) guidance capabilities, propulsion systems and weapon accuracy. A cornerstone of naval anti-aircraft and anti-missile self-defenses, ESSM protects battleships from high-G manuevering anti-ship cruise missiles, surface attacks and low-velocity air threats. The ESSM R&D will expand the tail-controlled missile by improving seeker sensitivity, bridging the gap between close-in air defense and local area defense systems, reducing time to target via kinematics and integrating multi-mission weapon adaptation. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation of Japan will also receive components and assemblies from Raytheon to manufacture and deliver ESSM to the Japanese Ministry of Defense.