Raytheon has been awarded a $162.7 million contract for production of the Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) for the US Navy and nine other allied nations.
An international co-operative upgrade of the RIM-7 NATO SeaSparrow Missile, ESSM provides defence against high-speed, highly manoeuvrable anti-ship missiles.
The contract calls for production of 251 missiles, associated spares and shipping containers for Australia, Canada, Germany, Norway and the US by October 2007. Forty-five percent of the work will be done by Raytheon and 55 percent by Raytheon's international partners.
ESSM will be deployed on Aegis Flight IIa Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, Aegis Ticonderoga class cruisers, aircraft carriers and the US Navy's next-generation surface combatant ship, DD(X).
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I'd like to know where these are operating in the UK. The report is notably light on this. I wonder why?