BAE Systems Australia has won a $31m contract from Raytheon Missile Systems for the continued production of Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) components.
The contract brings the value of ESSM business awarded to BAE to $370 million and guarantees continued production work in Australia through 2014, BAE said.
Developed under a collaborative agreement between Australia, the US, Canada and other NATO nations, the ESSM system is designed to protect warships against anti-ship missiles. BAE developed the algorithms for the ESSM “enhanced all-the-way-home” guidance mode, which provides a local area defence capability, and supported the integration of the ESSM system into Australia’s ANZAC class frigates.
Preliminary work has begun on the development of a Block II upgrade including a new dual-mode seeker. Raytheon anticipates a requirement for ESSM Block II IOC by 2020.
