RIM-162 ESSM
Overview
The RIM-162 Evolved Seasparrow Missile (ESSM) is a development of the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missile used to protect ships from attacking missiles and aircraft. ESSM is designed to counter supersonic maneuvering anti-ship missiles. ESSM also has the ability to be "quad-packed" in the Mark 41 Vertical Launch System.
Development
The ESSM program is an international cooperative effort supported by 12 nations including the United States, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Norway, Spain, Turkey, The Netherlands, Japan and Thailand. The ESSM was developed by Raytheon and is currently produced by Raytheon and other companies around the world.
Design
The ESSM is a medium-range, surface-to-air missile that is housed in a vertical launching system. It uses semi-active radar homing for guidance and has a blast-fragmentation warhead. The ESSM has a four-sided active radar seeker for improved target detection and discrimination capabilities, and is capable of engaging high-speed, high-G maneuvering anti-ship cruise missiles, as well as low-velocity air threats and surface threats.
Operational History
The ESSM was first deployed in 2004 by the United States Navy on the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). Since then, it has been deployed by many other navies around the world. The ESSM has been used in several military exercises and has proven its effectiveness in both single and multi-missile environments.
Future Development
The Block II version of the ESSM is currently under development. This version will feature an active guidance system that will allow the missile to engage threats more effectively, including those over the horizon. The Block II ESSM is expected to be operational by 2020.