U.S. Navy receives 500th SeaSparrow Block 2 missile as Raytheon ramps up production.

RTX confirmed on October 1, 2025, that Raytheon delivered the 500th Evolved SeaSparrow Missile Block 2 to the U.S. Navy. The milestone underscores a surge in ship defense production as Washington and NATO brace for growing missile and drone threats.

RTX announced on October 1, 2025, that Raytheon has delivered the 500th Evolved SeaSparrow Missile Block 2 to the U.S. Navy, citing a plan to nearly double production by June 2026. The disclosure, made via the company’s official news center, highlights a decisive push to reinforce surface ship defenses against massed sea-skimming cruise missiles and increasingly capable uncrewed systems. ESSM Block 2 is the NATO SeaSparrow consortium’s 10-inch-diameter, medium-range shipborne interceptor recognized for dual-mode guidance and the ability to quad-pack four missiles into a single Mk 41 Vertical Launch System cell, dramatically expanding magazine depth without redesigning hulls or combat systems.
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The ESSM Block 2 is a medium-range naval interceptor capable of Mach 4 speeds, quad-pack launch from Mk 41 cells, and dual-mode active/semi-active radar guidance, giving U.S. and NATO warships enhanced defense against cruise missiles, drones, and complex multi-axis raids (Picture source: U.S. DoW).

At the hardware level, Block 2 preserves the robust 10-inch airframe and Mk 134 solid rocket motor lineage while introducing a modern guidance section built around an X-band active radar seeker paired with the legacy semi-active channel. This dual-mode architecture enables midcourse command updates followed by autonomous terminal homing, breaking the dependency on continuous-wave illuminators in the endgame and freeing fire control directors to manage more simultaneous tracks. The missile flies faster than Mach 4 and carries an approximately 39-kilogram blast-fragmentation warhead, with a typical engagement envelope beyond 50 kilometers and the agility to execute violent endgame maneuvers against weaving or crossing targets.

U.S. and allied combatants can quad-pack ESSM in Mk 41 cells, load it in legacy trainable Mk 29 launchers aboard carriers and amphibs, or integrate it with Mk 56 and other modular launch systems on frigates and corvettes. The result is a common interceptor scalable from large-deck carriers to light surface combatants without significant structural changes. Integration with Aegis and allied combat systems supports cooperative engagement, allowing shooters to prosecute tracks held by off-board sensors and extending the defended footprint across a task group.

Block 2 transforms ESSM from a largely radar-dependent point-defense round into a fast-cycling self and local-area defense solution. The active seeker improves performance against low-altitude sea-skimmers that execute terminal pop-ups, challenging crossing shots against high-G air-breathing threats, and small radar cross-section drones prone to break-lock. In layered defense, ESSM Block 2 sits beneath SM-2 and SM-6, absorbing the saturation portion of a raid while preserving long-range interceptors for deep shots. Demonstrated intercepts against maneuvering and high-diving targets underscore relevance to multi-axis salvos and complex raid geometries that surface forces expect in contested littorals.

The production milestone matters as carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups face persistent missile and UAS harassment in maritime chokepoints and as Western Pacific operations anticipate large-volume anti-ship salvos from near-peer adversaries. A larger ESSM Block 2 inventory increases the likelihood that escorts can defeat dense attacks without burning through strategic long-range stocks. Because the program is managed through the NATO SeaSparrow consortium, it also strengthens allied commonality for magazines, spares, software baselines, and training, reinforcing coalition resilience during sustained operations.

The acceleration aligns with Washington’s and NATO’s wider munitions surge, reflecting congressional pressure to expand production and alliance priorities to thicken shipboard magazines. By pairing a proven 10-inch form factor with modern seekers and networking, ESSM Block 2 offers a cost-effective solution to the near-term cruise missile and drone threat while laying groundwork for the consortium’s next significant variant now being scoped to counter evolving profiles. Crossing the 500-delivery threshold, coupled with a declared ramp through 2026, signals that the U.S. Navy’s close-in and local-area air defense capacity is finally catching up to the threat environment.