Key point: NATO wants to improve how their ships can defend themselves.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy and numerous NATO partners are firing a new high-tech ship-defense weapon that can identify, track, and attack maneuvering anti-ship missiles with an active seeker that enables the missile to change course in flight. Kris Osborn at The National Interest reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

19 Nov. 2019 -- The Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Block II, or ESSM, is a new version of an existing Sea Sparrow missile-defense system that protects aircraft carriers, destroyers, cruisers, amphibious assault ships and other vessels against anti-ship missiles and other surface and airborne short-range threats to ships.

The recent live-fire test follows completion of two controlled test vehicle flight tests in June 2017 and is the first in a series of live-fire tests that will lead to the ESSM Block 2 missile entering production.

The ESSM Block 2 live-fire exercise marked the first use of the weapon’s active seeker system, emerging technology improves the missile's guidance to its target with active electromagnetic signals, Navy officials said.

This article by John Keller originally appeared on Military & Aerospace Electronics in 2019.

Image: Reuters.