WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US littoral combat ship USS Coronado has successfully fired a tactical missile from an anti-ship defense system off the coast of California, US defense contractor Raytheon said in a press release on Thursday.
“For the first time, the US Navy successfully fired a tactical missile from a SeaRAM launcher on an Independence variant littoral combat ship,” the press release read.
SeaRAM anti-ship defense system, produced by Raytheon, defends navies against anti-ship cruise missiles, according to the release.
"This test success marks a major milestone toward full operation and employment of the SeaRAM system on US Navy ships," Raytheon Missile Systems Naval Area and Mission Defense product line vice president, Rick Nelson, said.
SeaRAM system uses advanced close-in weapon sensors for defense against anti-ship missiles and replaces a small infrared homing surface-to-air missile previously used by the US Navy, according to the release.
