A surface-to-air missile with a range of 50 km and a speed of Mach 4

The launch of a RIM-162 ESSM missile by the Spanish frigate 'Cristóbal Colón'

Esp 5·21·2025 · 22:19 0

Currently, warships are most vulnerable to air attack by aircraft, missiles, or drones.

Naval Strike Missile: the modern anti-ship missile that the Spanish Navy will receive
This is a shot of the main gun of the F-100 frigates of the Spanish Navy

The Spanish frigates of the "Álvaro de Bazán" class, also known as F-100, are equipped with two types of missiles to deal with air threats: the RIM-66L Standard SM-2MR Block IIIA (a variant specifically designed for the AEGIS combat system, with up to 48 units housed in the Mk.41 missile launch system, with one missile per cell) and the RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile or ESSM (up to 192 units, with up to four missiles per cell). Both missiles are manufactured by the American company Raytheon.

A RIM-162 ESSM missile fired from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) on July 23, 2010, during an exercise off the coast of Southern California (Photo: U.S. Navy).

The RIM-162 ESSM is based on the famous AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range air-to-air missile, in service since 1956 and more recent versions of which are still in service with various air forces. Based on the AIM-7, the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow was born in 1976, a naval version also used by the Spanish Navy, with a speed of 4,256 km/h and a range of 19 kilometers. The RIM-162 ESSM has been in service since 2004 and is an extensive redesign of the RIM-7, almost being a new missile due to its numerous improvements. Its initial variant, the RIM-162A, was specifically designed for ships with the AEGIS system, such as the Spanish F-100 frigates. It has a range of over 50 kilometers and a speed exceeding Mach 4 (4,939 hm/h).

The Spanish Navy's F-105 frigate "Cristóbal Colón" along with other allied ships during exercise Formidable Shield 2025. Above, we see a US Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft (Photo: U.S. Navy).

From May 1 to 31, the Spanish Navy's F-105 frigate "Cristóbal Colón" is participating in the Formidable Shield 2025 exercise, organized by NATO and taking place in northern Europe, in a strip that goes from Norway to the United Kingdom. This is a multinational integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) exercise, led by the United States Navy's Sixth Fleet and in which, in addition to ships from several allied countries, Norwegian F-35 fighters and British Eurofighters also participate. In addition, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States will also participate in this exercise with maritime patrol aircraft, NATO reported.

Formidable Shield is Europe's largest live-fire naval exercise, and includes "a series of complex Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) and Air Defence (AD) missions in a complex operating environment," according to NATO. "Participants will share tactical data, engage in NATO-level planning, and practice coordinated responses to complex scenarios, further enhancing integration and interoperability between Allies and the warfighting domains."

This Monday, the Spanish Navy published the photos you see here of crew members of the frigate "Cristóbal Colón" with fireproof equipment during a battle drill in the Combat Information Center (CIC) of the ship during this Atlantic Alliance exercise. This Monday, the Spanish Navy published a video of missile launches in this exercise. The second launch in the video is that of the RIM-162 ESSM by the frigate "Cristóbal Colón":

Yesterday, the US Navy's Sixth Fleet released four photos of the Spanish frigate launching a RIM-162 ESSM missile. The photos show the missile launching from one of the Mk.41 launcher cells. Once at altitude, the missile will abruptly veer to the side using thrust vectoring. These missiles can perform maneuvers of up to 50 G's, which would destroy a human in a manned aircraft.

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Main photo: U.S. Navy.

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