By Carlo Munoz
Missile manufacturer Raytheon [RTN] has ramped up production and deliveries of a key missile system to the U.S. Navy and various American allies in the past year, according to a company statement.
The defense industry giant shipped 336 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) systems to the U.S. military and other foreign armed forces in the past year, it said. That number, it added, nearly doubles the amount of ESSM systems shipped worldwide in 2009.
The acceleration in ESSM deliveries by Raytheon was driven by customer demand, Rick Nelson, vice president of Naval Weapon Systems at Raytheon Missile Systems, said in the same statement.
The ability to produce such quantities of Sea Sparrows to U.S. and international clients was a reflection of the company’s “robust manufacturing and engineering processes,” as well as the ability to leverage its vast network of international partners on the program, Nelson said.
That international cooperation comes in the form of the “NATO Sea Sparrow Project.” Including the United States, project participants include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, The Netherlands, Norway , Portugal, Spain and Turkey.
“ESSM protects the fleets of the world as a leading solution for layered defense,” said Ed Roesly, Raytheon Missile Systems ESSM program director.
The delivery milestone is the culmination of nearly four decades of technology and design improvements backed by the NATO partnership, Roesly said. That said, company officials continue to “conduct studies to identify improvement opportunities required for ESSM to pace the threat with advanced capabilities,” the statement added.
ESSM is a medium-range, all-weather, semi-active radar-guided missile used in surface to air and surface to surface roles by the United States and currently deployed by more than 11 international customers. On the Navy side, the ESSM is primarily used for fleet protection on board the service’s carrier and surface warfare ships.