NATO prepares new missile program to outclass ESSM Block 2 in maritime defense.

According to information published by the U.S. Department of the Navy on August 26, 2025, the NATO SEASPARROW Project Office (NSPO), in partnership with NavalX and the Office of Naval Research (ONR), will host a classified Industry Day in Washington, DC, on October 14, 2025. The event will present defense contractors with the framework for the Next Significant Variant (NSV), a new missile program designed to succeed the Evolved SEASPARROW Missile (ESSM) Block 2. This move signals a major modernization of NATO’s maritime layered air defense architecture at a time when adversaries are deploying faster, more agile, and harder-to-detect missile systems.
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NATO prepares the Next Significant Variant missile to replace the ESSM Block 2, boosting allied naval air defense against advanced aerial and missile threats (U.S Navy).

The ESSM Block 2 is today one of NATO’s principal shipborne interceptors, forming a vital element of fleet protection. Measuring 3.66 meters in length with a 10-inch diameter, the missile can be quad-packed in Mk 41 vertical launch systems and fired from Mk 29 trainable launchers. Weighing about 280 kilograms, it carries a 39-kilogram blast-fragmentation warhead. The missile is powered by a high-thrust solid-propellant rocket motor and features thrust-vector control for extreme maneuverability. Capable of speeds above Mach 4 and intercepts beyond 50 kilometers, it provides a reliable shield against supersonic sea-skimming cruise missiles and maneuvering air-breathing threats. Its dual-mode radar seeker allows for both semi-active and fully autonomous active homing in the terminal phase, eliminating the reliance on continuous shipboard radar illumination.

The ESSM Block 2 provides NATO fleets with a critical middle layer in layered defense, positioned between short-range point defense systems like RAM and long-range interceptors such as SM-2 and SM-6. It enables surface combatants to protect carrier groups, amphibious forces, and high-value assets from saturation attacks by cruise missiles or fast aircraft, while its maneuverability and active seeker give commanders greater flexibility in cluttered littoral environments. The future NSV, however, is designed to extend this envelope by offering longer reach, greater resistance to electronic warfare, and the ability to engage emerging threats such as hypersonic glide vehicles and advanced stand-off munitions. Its projected networking and cooperative engagement capabilities will allow multiple missiles to coordinate attacks against complex swarms, significantly improving fleet survivability in contested battlespaces.

The NSV will retain the same compact form factor to ensure seamless compatibility with NATO’s existing launching infrastructure but will deliver a generational leap in performance. It is expected to integrate longer-range propulsion technologies, potentially extending effective engagement envelopes to counter next-generation stand-off weapons. Seeker enhancements under consideration include multi-mode solutions, combining active radar with imaging infrared and advanced electronic counter-countermeasures to resist jamming and deception tactics. Warhead development is also a focus, with new fragmentation patterns and directional energy improvements aimed at defeating hypersonic glide vehicles and highly maneuverable cruise missiles.

Another critical element of the NSV program is its reliance on digital engineering and open-architecture design. Unlike legacy systems, the missile will be developed with model-based systems engineering from the outset, enabling faster integration, easier upgrades, and improved multinational industrial collaboration. This approach will allow NATO members to adapt the missile to evolving operational requirements over its service life without redesigning the entire weapon. Additionally, concepts such as missile-to-missile networking and cooperative engagement capabilities are being explored, which would allow salvos of interceptors to share tracking data and coordinate their approach against complex saturation attacks.

By investing in the NSV, NATO seeks to maintain its technological edge in naval air defense while reinforcing alliance-wide interoperability. The Industry Day will present classified details of preliminary operational requirements, technology priorities, and acquisition pathways, with registration closing on October 7, 2025. Eligibility is limited to NATO-affiliated companies with the appropriate security clearances.

The transition from ESSM Block 2 to the NSV represents more than an incremental evolution. It embodies NATO’s intent to field a future-proof missile capable of countering the most advanced aerial and missile threats projected for the 2030s and beyond. For allied navies, the NSV will be a cornerstone capability ensuring continued freedom of maneuver in increasingly contested maritime environments.