49.17 (-0.13) 
Evolved Seasparrow
Missile (ESSM)
ESSM™ bridges the gap between close-in air defense and local area defense systems
Evolved Seasparrow Missile (ESSM) is an international cooperative upgrade of the RIM-7 Seasparrow Missile. ESSM provides self-defense battlespace and firepower against high-speed, highly maneuverable anti-ship missiles.
ESSM is bringing transformational anti-ship missile defense capabilities to the naval fleets of the United States, NATO and other allies. The missile was developed for the U.S. Navy and nine of the other 11 member nations of the NATO SEASPARROW Consortium. ESSM is currently deployed on U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and surface combatants of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands and Norway. Future integration is underway onto the U.S. Navy's Ticonderoga-class cruisers, aircraft carriers, future DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyers as well as the surface combatants of the remaining ESSM team navies and multiple third-party international navies.
Raytheon Missile Systems, along with a global industrial partnership, has introduced the ground-based ESSM that expands the missile’s mission area to ground-based air defense (GBAD). The ground-based ESSM builds on the capabilities of the ship-based ESSM, which provides anti-ship missile defense capabilities to the naval fleets of the United States and its NATO and other allies.