EVOLVED SEASPARROW MISSILE (ESSM) (RIM 162D)

Description
ESSM was developed by the U.S. Navy in cooperation with an international consortium of other NATO partners plus Australia. ESSM is a medium-range, semi-active homing missile that makes flight corrections via radar and midcourse data uplinks. The missile provides reliable ship self-defense capability against agile, high-speed, low-altitude anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), low velocity air threats (LVATs), such as helicopters, and high-speed, maneuverable surface threats. ESSM is integrated with a variety of U.S. and international launchers and combat systems across 10 different navies.

ESSM has an 8-inch diameter forebody that tapers to a 10-inch diameter rocket motor. The forebody includes a guidance section uses a radome-protected antenna for semi-active homing and attaches to an improved warhead section. A high-thrust, solid-propellant rocket motor (10-inch diameter) provides high thrust for maneuverability with tail control via a Thrust Vector Controller (TVC).

ESSM�s effective tracking performance and agile kinematics result from S- and X-band midcourse uplinks, high average velocity and tail control, increased firepower with the MK 25 �quad pack� canister used for MK 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS)-equipped ships, and greater lethality with a warhead designed for defeating hardened ASCMs.

Background
ESSM is a cooperative effort among 10 of 12 NATO Seasparrow nations governed by a Production Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and multinational work-share arrangement. In addition to the United States, ESSM member nations include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Turkey.

The first production ESSM was delivered in late 2002 to the U.S. Navy by Raytheon Missile Systems (RMS) and has been in full operational use in the U.S. since 2004. ESSM is fired from the MK 29 trainable launcher, MK 41 VLS, MK 57 VLS (DDG 1000), MK 29 trainable launcher, MK 48 Guided Missile VLS (Canadian, Greece, Japan navies), and MK 56 Dual Pack ESSM Launching System (Danish navy) configurations of the U.S. Navy, NATO, and other Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. ESSM interfaces with a variety of combat systems, including the Aegis Weapon System (DDG 51 and CG 47 classes), MK 57 NSSMS / Ship Self-Defense (LHD and CVN Classes), Ship Self-Defense System (LHA/LHD/CVN classes), Total Ship Computing Environment (DDG 1000 class), ANZAC (Royal Australian Navy), Dutch Configuration (several European navies), FLEXFIRE (Danish navy), and APAR (several European navies) combat systems.

http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=2200&tid=950&ct=2