The launching systems will be installed on four Baynunah class corvettes being constructed by ADSB for the UAE Navy. The contract includes an option to equip two additional ship sets.
The MK56 was chosen competitively by the UAE Navy as the preferred launching system for the Evolved Seasparrow Missile (ESSM), which will be the primary air defense system for the Baynunah class. Raytheon's MK56 is one of a family of Seasparrow Vertical Missile Launchers now currently operational in six international navies around the world.
The MK56 launcher is a lightweight system designed and qualified specifically for the ESSM. It has been used for multiple live firings of the ESSM conducted by both the U.S. and Royal Danish Navies, all of which were completely successful.
In fact, the U.S. Navy used the launcher as part of the ESSM missile qualification program. The MK56 is adaptable to a variety of configurations to support from four to 16 missiles, equally suitable for small and larger naval platforms.
Work on this program will be performed at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems' Naval Integration Center in Portsmouth, R.I., Surveillance and Sensors Center in Sudbury, Mass.; Raytheon Australia Pty Ltd.; and at the shipyards in Cherbourg, France, and Abu Dhabi, UAE, where the Baynunah vessels are being constructed.