Following a 20-month upgrade, Royal Australian Navy ANZAC-class Frigate HMAS Arunta has fired its first Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) off the coast of Western Australia.

The U.S. Navy awarded Raytheon Company a $190 million low-rate initial production contract for ESSM Block 2 missiles featuring a new guidance system with a dual mode active and semi-active radar.

Raytheon's missiles played vital roles in the Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO military exercise called Formidable Shield 2019, which took place off the coast of Scotland and included scenarios of no-notice target launches, the US company said on May 28, 2019.

The U.S. Navy has scheduled the last guided flight test of the Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) Block 2 to further evaluate the weapon’s new active guidance seeker