Full funding for the procurement was activated at the time of signing, with deliveries planned for both domestic and international customers. The U.S. Navy will account for 50% of the order, while the remaining share will be supplied to export customers through the Foreign Military Sales program.
Countries included in the export list are Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Turkey. In all cases, the missiles will be deployed on multi-role destroyers and frigates.
Due to the structure of the RIM-162 ESSM program, part of the production and delivery work will be carried out outside the United States. The arrangement reflects the multinational nature of the program and its participating partners.
The RIM-162 ESSM Block II missile uses a semi-active guidance system and is designed for naval air defense operations. Its operational range from ship-based launchers is described as exceeding 50 kilometers.
The RIM-162 ESSM family saw its first combat use on October 9, 2016, when the USS Mason (DDG 87) launched a missile to intercept and destroy an anti-ship missile fired by Houthi rebels in western Yemen. It cannot be ruled out that ESSM missiles were also used in combat during U.S. operations against Iran in the current year.
