RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile
| RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow | |
|---|---|
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| General Information | |
| Type | Surface-to-air missile |
| Manufacturer | Raytheon |
| Commissioning | 2004 |
| Unit price | $ 640,000-800,000 |
| Technical specifications | |
| length | 3.66 m |
| diameter | 254 mm |
| Combat weight | 280 kg |
| drive | Solid propulsion Mk 143 Mod 0 |
| speed | Mach > 4.0 |
| Range | > 50 km |
| Furnishing | |
| Target location | semi-active radar target search |
| Warhead | 39 kg fragmentation warhead |
| Weapon platforms | Warship |
| Lists on the subject | |
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The RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile ( ESSM ) is a medium-range ship-based anti - aircraft missile . It is primarily from the US Corporation Raytheon produces, with eleven other states were involved in the development (see below ) .
development
The ESSM was developed to replace the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow system, which modern anti-ship missiles can only combat to a limited extent. Among the emerging threats mainly included Soviet developments in this area, such as the SS-N-22 or SS-N-26 Strobile that are very deep and supersonic quickly fly, can perform strong maneuvers and limited EloGM have -Capacities . However, the conversion should also be carried out without major modifications to the existing hardware, so the decision was made to take over parts of the steering electronics, the drive and the warhead from the RIM-7P and then to modernize them comprehensively. However, many components have also been completely redeveloped, for example the cell or the proximity fuse. Despite these changes, the ESSM can be quickly integrated into an existing RIM-7 system, as it is compatible with its launch and fire control systems . Only a software update and minor modifications to the missile starter are required for integration.
The concept phase for the ESSM began in 1988 and was dominated by Hughes and Raytheon . When Hughes won the US Navy tender in 1995 , the company entered into a joint venture with Raytheon, which the latter acquired two years later. The first tests were carried out in 1997. One started with simple flight tests and ended the test phase with several successful kills of highly maneuvering, low-flying and supersonic test targets. The first production model was delivered to the US Navy in 2002 and the system entered service the following year. Series production began in January 2004 and to date (August 2012) over 2000 guided missiles have been delivered. In the spring of 2009, a version with improved combat value was successfully tested, which has a new steering system and should offer a higher probability of being fired.
technology
Although the ESSM is based on the RIM-7P Sea Sparrow , it is an almost entirely new guided missile. Only the warhead was taken over almost unchanged, but without the original proximity fuse. Four control surfaces at the stern and the thrust vector control are responsible for flight control , which means that the rocket has a very high level of maneuverability and, thanks to its reinforced airframe , can perform maneuvers with up to 50 g . In addition, the position control systems deliver reliable data immediately after starting, which means that a very short minimum range can be achieved. A semi-active radar system is mainly used for steering . However, since the rocket also has an inertial navigation system and a data link, radar lighting of the target is only necessary in the last seconds of the flight. In the event of an attack, this method makes it possible to launch a large number of guided missiles and bring them onto an interception course, even if there are not enough fire control channels available for their guidance. The ESSM can be controlled by a variety of fire control radars (see below ). These must work either in the S-band (2-4 GHz) or in the X-band (7-12 GHz), whereby the seeker can use both frequency bands at the same time for route guidance. As a result, the system, combined with the HOJ mode, has a very high resistance to interference. In addition, the system can now reliably detect and combat surface targets and very slow targets such as helicopters.
Platforms
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The ESSM was designed to be used on as many platforms as possible. Such a platform must have a suitable fire control radar on the one hand, and a suitable guided missile starter on the other. The respective systems are listed below:
Fire control radars
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Guided missile starters
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States involved
As part of the NATO SEASPARROW Project Office (NSPO) , the following countries were also involved in the development:
Many of these nations are now using the ESSM as the primary anti-aircraft missile for their new warships, as it is considerably more compact and lighter than the Standard Missile 2 . Other users outside the consortium are:
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| Length: | 3.66 m |
| Diameter: | 20.3 cm |
| Span: | 1.00 m |
| Weight: | 280 kg |
| Drive: | Solid rocket Mk 58, dual thrust |
| Speed: | > Do 4 |
| g limit: | 50 g |
| Max. Range: | > 50 km |
| Min. Range: | 1500 m |
| Steering: | semi-active, home-on-jam , data link, INS |
| Warhead: | 39.5 kg fragmentation warhead |
| Ignition: | Proximity and impact fuses |
| Destruction radius: | approx. 8 m |
Further development
In a memorandum of understanding at the end of 2014, thirteen nations, including Germany, decided to further develop the ESSM at Block 2. The development contract for this was concluded with the US manufacturer Raytheon in 2015, the industries of the partner nations are partially involved in the development as subcontractors. Significant innovations are to be achieved through the use of a new radar seeker head, which should enable an active and semi-active target search. Components that have already been introduced should be used to minimize risk.
Comparable systems
References
Web links
- Official NATO Seasparrow project page (English)
- ESSM on designation-systems.net (English)
- ESSM on GlobalSecurity.com (English)
- Manufacturer's brochure (Raytheon) (English; PDF; 537 kB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ ESSM - Deagel.com. Retrieved February 6, 2011 .
- ↑ DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY - NAVY. Retrieved February 6, 2011 .
- ↑ Raytheon Signs $ 151 Million Evolved SeaSparrow Missile Contract. Retrieved February 6, 2011 .
- ^ Raytheon Awarded Full Rate Production Contract for Evolved SEASPARROW Missile. Retrieved February 6, 2011 .
- ↑ Strategy and Technology / December 2015; Page 82–83.