Brenda Marie Rivers
NATO’s Seasparrow Project Office has completed the first live-fire test of Raytheon‘s Evolved Seasparrow Missile system that was equipped with a new active guidance seeker.
The demonstration flight saw the ESSM Block 2 variant intercept a BQM-74E Chukar aerial target drone from Northrop Grumman and came a year after completion of controlled test vehicle trials, the U.S. Navy said Friday.
Raytheon secured a potential $77 million contract in May to obtain equipment and support services required to commence low-rate production of Block 2 missiles.
The company will equip the system with semi-active and active guidance technologies.
The NATO Seasparrow Project is an international missile development effort of the U.S., Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands.
