BAE Systems to produce Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile components

EDINBURGH, Australia, Feb., 7, 2012. BAE Systems Australia has been awarded a $31 million contract by Raytheon Missile Systems of Tucson Arizona for the continued production of Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) components. This contract takes the value of the ESSM business awarded to BAE Systems Australia to more than $370 million and will guarantee continued production work in Australia until the end of 2014. Developed under a collaborative program between Australia, the United States, Canada and other NATO Nations, ESSM protects our warships against anti-ship missiles. BAE Systems Australia developed the algorithms for the ESSM enhanced home-all-the-way guidance mode, which provides a local area defence capability for the missile. All missile performance analysis supporting the integration of the ESSM into the ANZAC class was also undertaken by BAE Systems Australia.

BAE Systems Australia’s Weapons Systems business in Melbourne is an Australian ESSM sub-contractor to Raytheon Missile Systems. BAE Systems Australia, ADI Limited, Hawker De Havilland and other members of the Australian Industry Defence Network (AIDN), have designed, developed and manufactured many of the flight control and guidance elements of the missile.

Preliminary work has begun on the development of a Block II upgrade embodying a new dual-mode seeker and enabled for a planned follow-on kinematic upgrade. As prime contractor Raytheon Missile Systems anticipates ESSM Block II will be required for initial operating capability by 2020.