MBDA has signed a production contract with Italy’s National Directorate of Naval Armaments for the TESEO MK2/E, a next-generation anti-ship missile designed for the Italian Navy.
The deal will equip FREMM EVO-class frigates, the Multi-Purpose Combat Ship/Pattugliatori Polivalenti d’Altura and the new DDX destroyers with the weapon. The MK2/E will also complement the MK2/A, which is already in service on FREMM and Horizon-class ships.
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Building on the OTOMAT/TESEO missile family, the MK2/E introduces a new AESA seeker, satellite data link and enhanced mission planning features. It can engage both long-range naval and land targets and has a secondary deep-strike capability.
“Starting the production of TESEO MK2/E demonstrates not only that the product is mature and fully compliant with the navy’s requirements but also that it perfectly complements MBDA’s portfolio, adding a new benchmark capability in the anti-ship domain, to be offered to foreign markets as well,” said Lorenzo Mariani, MBDA executive group director of sales and business development and managing director in Italy.
The production award follows MBDA’s 2021 contract to develop, integrate and qualify the missile. It also comes as the company rebrands its multinational Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon initiative as STRATUS, which seeks to deliver a next-generation deep-strike system for European partners.