BAE Systems on Thursday said it has received a $37 million contract from the Defense Department’s Ordnance Technology Consortium to design the Next Generation Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) Launch System (NGELS).
The NGELS is a deck-mounted fixed-angle launcher that leverages BAE’s Adaptable Deck Launcher concept to store and launch ESSMs from Mk 25 missile canisters. BAE said that the next-generation launcher will support the latest ESSM missile, the Block 2 variant, which can attack surface and airborne targets.
The launcher would be used on aircraft carriers and other flat-decked ships to protect against air and surface threats.
BAE will support NATO’s SeaSparrow Program Office in the design and delivery of an NGELS prototype deck launching systems.
“We have a long history of providing missile integration, launching systems, and canister design to the U.S. Navy,” Brent Butcher, vice president of the weapon systems product line at BAE Systems, said in a statement. “NGELS leverages the expertise of our workforce to provide a ready-to-deploy system that enhances mission effectiveness and enables reliable ship defense for the U.S. Navy. We look forward to working with our customers to bring this enhanced capability to the fleet and introducing it to international users.”