TUCSON, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Raytheon reports it has received two contracts, one for the U.S. Navy and one for Japan, for the Evolved Seasparrow Missile.
Under the first award, the company will continue to produce the missile through 2014 for the U.S. Navy.
Under the second contract, a two-year direct commercial sale, Raytheon will give Mitsubishi Electric Corp. missile components and assemblies for licensed production of the weapons.
The Seasparrow is a radar-guided, short-range defense weapon surface-to-air missile and is based on the Navy and Marine Corps' AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile.
"ESSM is the foundation of our allies' anti-ship missile defense," said Ed Roesly, ESSM program director for Raytheon Missile Systems. "Raytheon, along with our international team of 18 partner companies, has advanced this world-class system to a point of prominence in ship self-defense.
"We continue to make missile improvements to outpace the threat."
The two contracts are worth a combined total of $212.8 million. Raytheon said production under the awards will continue through fiscal 2014.
