Raytheon Awarded $162.7 Million Contract for Continued Evolved SeaSparrow Missile Production

Raytheon ^ | May 6, 2005 | Raytheon

[Righty_McRight]

TUCSON, Ariz., May 6, 2005 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a $162.7 million contract for production of the Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) for the U.S. Navy and nine other allied nations. An international cooperative upgrade of the RIM-7 NATO SeaSparrow Missile, ESSM provides self-defense battlespace and firepower against high-speed, highly maneuverable anti-ship missiles. The contract calls for production of 251 missiles, associated spares and shipping containers for Australia, Canada, Germany, Norway and the U.S. by October 2007. Forty-five percent of the work will be done by Raytheon and 55 percent by Raytheon's international partners. ESSM is bringing transformational anti-ship missile defense capabilities to the naval fleets of the United States and its NATO allies. The missile is being produced for the U.S. Navy and nine of the other 11 member nations of the NATO SEASPARROW Consortium. ESSM will be deployed on Aegis Flight IIa Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, Aegis Ticonderoga class cruisers, aircraft carriers and the Navy's next-generation surface combatant ship, DD(X). Raytheon Company, with 2004 sales of $20.2 billion, is an industry leader in defense and government electronics, space, information technology, technical services, and business and special mission aircraft. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 80,000 people worldwide.

Contact: Sara Hammond 520.794.7810

SOURCE Raytheon Company

[Righty_McRight]

I wonder how this does againts Sunburns.

[ProudVet77]

Does just fine.
The sunburn has more problems than just the ESSM. It has to deal with RIM-116 RAM, NULKA, CIWS 20MM, ECM, Chaff, etc....
Then the ship/aircraft firing the sunburn has to deal with F-18s/E-2Cs, etc. Doctrine is to take out the archer when possible to avoid multiple arrows. We're very good at it.
The sunburn, while a respectable missile is really an early 80's technology weapon, and the Navy is not that worried about it. It's the media that has it's panties in a knot.

[TheBlueMax]

Everything I've read supports your conclusion. I believe that the Sunburn has all it can handle just facing a CIWS.

[ProudVet77]

It's all hype of the anti-Pentagon MSM. I used to be concerned about it too, as a former EW in the USN. But after I spent an hour reading about what it could do, and what we had now to defend against it, I stopped worrying. Another example of how the MSM preys on ignorance.

[Doofer]

as a former EW in the USN

I retired 2 1/2 years ago as a EWC Chief.

[ProudVet77]

Cool, you must have seen a lot of changes. I have enjoyed them from a distance. My ship is in my profile. When I first got involved with EW I was an ETR (before your time). I opened the waveguide leading to the highest band tuner on the WLR-1 and salt water came out of it. ;) We were amateurs! But it was exciting. We were thrilled just to pick up a Don-2. It was all done by ear back then, backed by the screen of the WLR-1. Imagine how it was the summer we spent in the Barents Sea!
Thanks for advancing the cause Chief.

[ozaukeemom]

Does this affect you?

[mylife]

Raytheon sold my division. I work for L3 Commnications

[mylife]

A whirly 1 eh?

Hell I thought the whirly 6 was old! ;)

[ProudVet77]

Someone had to be first! But I was proud of what we did.
We pioneered the way to better ELINT. Fist step was educating officers to the value of what we knew. ;)
I didn't think it was so bad till I went to see the Nautilus in New London, and there was WLR-1.
As whirly is an inside term, you must have been one of us.

[mylife]

I was a 637 guy my system WLQ 4 replaced whirly 6.

I actually worked on a whirly one in school L0L

Its so cool Nautilis has been preserved. I got to check out Sea Dragon once

[mylife]

By the way, you should be proud. we had the Russkies on their Heels

[ProudVet77]

Without being too arrogant, I am proud. we developed the techniques that put them on their butts.
My most spooky moment was when a Bear-D flew overhead and I got his altimeter. 30KC pulse rate with no amplitude modulation. Sound familiar?

[embedded_rebel]

I didn't know you could mount Sea Sparrows and Canada's flotilla of Aeging beavers.

[wyattearp]

How many WLR-1 jockeys can you fit in one thread? LOL.

Seriously. I'm like, whoa...

EW, USS Berkeley, DDG-15, '81-'83. We had the WLR1-G and the SLQ-26 (active gear).

[wyattearp]

My most spooky moment was when a Bear-D flew overhead and I got his altimeter.

We did an exercise with B-52s (they were practicing, we were the target), and the only thing you could pick up was the altimeter. If you did, that was a bad thing. Before the exercise, I asked if we could go active on the altimeter if we picked it up. TAO said, "don't...even...think it". :-)

[ProudVet77]

Wow, all this REAL TALENT on one thread. Now adays they have computers that figure out what the emissios are, what the threat is, and how to respond it it. We were so primative, that when I would report a Don-2 to the CICWO and he passed it to the bridge the usual response was, a Don what?
My "office" was against the port side of CIC, and was in eyesight of the sonar shack. We'd wander back and forth during midwatch. But we had a deal, if they ever saw me running forward to get out of CIC in a hurry (headed for the bridge wing and dive into the ocean), they would go out the scuttle hatch out of the sonar shack. And if they heard a torpedo, I was outta there ;) We only had a ULQ-6 which was useless. USS McCloy DE-1038 '72-74.

[mylife]

I wasnt a real WLR 1 guy but I did get to work on it in school.

There is no sight that will open your eyes more than a Bear directly overhead.

It only happened to me once. thats a big bird

[mylife]

L0L a stop watch is an EWs best friend