A Raytheon surface-to-air ship self-defense missile shot down a target drone earlier this month over New Mexico during its first guided flight test, the company announced yesterday. The Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) destroyed a BQM-34S Firebee target drone after being fired from the Desert Ship launch complex at White Sands Missile Range, NM. The successful shoot-down was the first of 15 flight tests scheduled for this year, according to Raytheon. ESSM is the next-generation NATO SeaSparrow missile. The original version...
