Norway fires first ground-based Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile from NASAMS launcher

Test validates ESSM's role in medium-range, ground-based air defense

The Royal Norwegian Air Force successfully fired a Raytheon Company Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile from a National Advanced Surface-to-Air-Missile System (NASAMS). During the first-of-its-kind test at the Andoya Rocket Range in Northern Norway, the ESSM intercepted and destroyed an air target.

"Completion of this live-fire exercise is a major step forward in our efforts to qualify ESSM as a ground-based air defense solution," said Rick Nelson, Raytheon Missile Systems' vice president of Naval Weapon Systems. "We will continue our engineering efforts to fully integrate ESSM into NASAMS and other land-based launch systems."

In addition to the launcher, the risk-reduction firing event used the NASAMS Fire Distribution Center (FDC) and the Hawk air defense system's High-Power Illuminator radar that served as the semi-active illumination source.

"Raytheon and our Norwegian partner KONGSBERG are expanding the flexibility and capability of our NASAMS, Hawk and Hawk XXI systems," said Tim Glaeser, vice president of Business Development and Strategy for Integrated Air and Missile Defense at Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems business. "Our Hawk customers may have the option in the future to implement ESSM with modifications to the system. NASAMS system users will also benefit from having ESSM as an additional effector."

Joining AMRAAM and AIM-9X, ESSM is the third Raytheon missile to be successfully fired from the NASAMS launcher. ESSM adds another capability to Raytheon's growing portfolio of ground-based air defense solutions.

About NASAMS

Raytheon's NASAMS, in partnership with KONGSBERG, is a medium-range surface-to-air missile system. This operationally proven system provides the air defender with a tailorable, state-of-the-art system that can defeat current and evolving cruise missile threats and a wide range of air breathing threats.

About ESSM

With 18 industrial partners representing 10 nations, ESSM is the world's premier international cooperative missile production program. ESSM is a key component of Raytheon's portfolio of products that provide a global layered defense capability to meet the needs of diverse platforms, combat system design and theaters of operation.

Successful demonstration of ground launched ESSM sets HAWK XXI on modernization growth path

The KONGSBERG and Raytheon HAWK XXI air defence system successfully engaged an air target with an Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) during a live-fire demonstration at the Andoya Rocket Range in Norway in late May 2012.

"This is part of the KONGSBERG and Raytheon continuous evolution of enhancing air defence systems to meet the evolving threats”, said Eirik Lie, Executive Vice President, Kongsberg Defence Systems. He continued, “The ESSM ground launch confirms our ambition of expanding our system capabilities and show current HAWK customers a path to upgrade their systems.”

The demonstration of the ESSM effector was supported by both United States Security Assistance Management Directorate “SAMD” and The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) through the use of government furnished tactical hardware, making this event possible.

The proven capabilities of the KONGSBERG Fire Distribution Center (FDC), the NASAMS Canister Launcher, the ThalesRaytheon Systems AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel Radar for target tracking and Raytheon’s Hawk High Power Illuminator (HPI) as the semi-active missile guidance source, were showcased in this demonstration.

Introducing the already proven and fielded NASAMS Launcher as part of the HAWK XXI system, also gives HAWK Users the opportunity to use other missiles as the AIM-120 AMRAAM. The highly capable and combat-proven HAWK system is deployed by 17 nations worldwide. The ESSM ground launched missile will enhance HAWK`s capability and provide operators with an in-production replacement missile.