Fri, Sep 26, 2003
Translation: 'Don't Mess With It'
The U.S. Navy has given the Raytheon Company-developed Evolved
SEASPARROW Missile (ESSM) its highest assessment, "suitable and
effective." This assessment, from the U.S. Navy's Commander,
Operational Testing and Evaluation Forces, comes shortly after the
conclusion of the Operational Testing and Evaluation (OPEVAL)
conducted earlier this year and paves the way for a full-rate
production decision scheduled for later this month.
In March 2003, the Navy conducted two successful Technical
Evaluation (TECHEVAL) firings of ESSM from the USS Shoup (DDG 86).
The subsequent OPEVAL (Operational Evaluation) tested not only the
missile, but the ship's system, launcher and crew.
"The deployment of the Evolved SEASPARROW Missile will bring
added safety to U.S. Navy ships and sailors and the ships and
sailors of our consortium partners," said Capt. Barney Cramp,
Project Manager for the NATO SEASPARROW Program Office. "ESSM has
been a unique and innovative program, pooling the requirements and
resources of 10 nations to develop a much-needed capability more
economically than if any of the countries attempted to develop the
capability separately. ESSM has demonstrated time and again its
ability to destroy anti-ship missiles, current and projected, over
the course of its numerous at-sea flight tests both on the U.S.
Navy Self Defense Test Ship and on the USS Shoup."
ESSM is bringing transformational anti-ship missile defense
capabilities to the naval fleets of the United States and its NATO
allies. The missile is being developed for the U.S. Navy and nine
of the other 11 member nations of the NATO SEASPARROW Consortium.
ESSM will be deployed on Aegis Flight IIa Arleigh Burke-class
guided missile destroyers, Aegis Ticonderoga class cruisers,
aircraft carriers and the Navy's newest destroyer, DDX. Raytheon
began developing ESSM at its Missile Systems business in Tucson
(AZ), in 1995. Raytheon delivered the first production ESSM to the
Navy in September 2002.
More News
Aviation Governance Secured...At Least For a While The National Business Aviation Association similarly applauded the passage of the FAA's recent reauthorization, contentedly recou>[...]
Emphasis On Growing The Future of Aviation Through Concentration on 'AFFORDABLE FLYERS' It's been a number of years since the Latest Edition of Jim Campbell's HUGE SportPlane Resou>[...]
Amazilia Aerospace GmbH, Develops Digital Flight Control, Flight Guidance And Vehicle Management Systems Textron eAviation has acquired substantially all the assets of Amazilia Aer>[...]
Honeywell's Primus Brings New Tools and Niceties for Hawker Operators Hawker 4000 business jet operators have a new installation on the table, now that the FAA has granted an STC f>[...]
Company Celebrates Niche-but-Important Advancement in Industry Standards Echodyne has announced full integration of its proprietary 'EchoFlight' radar into the e American Aerospace>[...]