GKN Aerospace has signed a contract with Raytheon Technologies to supply Mk30 missile canisters for the Raytheon Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM®). The Mk30 missile canisters are manufactured through a unique process of filament winding followed by vacuum infusion and can be used for up to 10 missile launches while surviving restrained firing. Refurbishment time between firings is very short providing excellent lifecycle costs.
GKN Aerospace’s Fokker business is the sole-source manufacturer of the lightweight canister and leverages a long history of manufacturing high-quality composite missile canisters for Raytheon Technologies.
Krisstie Kondrotis, President – Defense Business, GKN Aerospace said: “This follow-on contract reinforces our partnership with Raytheon Technologies, and is a testament to our global workforce collaborating to provide the best technology to partners around the world. I am extremely proud of our GKN Fokker team as they continue to uphold our commitment of quality and on-time delivery to our customers.
The RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) is a development of the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missile used to protect ships from attacking missiles and aircraft. ESSM is designed to counter supersonic maneuvering anti-ship missiles. ESSM also has the ability to be “quad-packed” in the Mark 41 Vertical Launch System, allowing up to four ESSMs to be carried in a single cell. The original Sea Sparrow was an expedient design intended to provide short-range defensive fire in a system that could be deployed as rapidly as possible. In the years after its introduction, it was upgraded to follow improvements being made in the air-to-air models used by the US Navy and US Air Force.
The ESSM guided missile is an international cooperative upgrade of the RIM-7 Seasparrow Missile. It provides self-defense battlespace and firepower against high-speed, highly maneuverable anti-ship missiles in the naval environment. Developed by the U.S. Navy and nine of the other 11-member nations of the NATO SEASPARROW Consortium, the ESSM missile is bringing transformational anti-ship missile defense capabilities to the U.S., NATO and other allies. Members of the Consortium include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and the United States.