MBDA has signed a production contract with Italy’s National Directorate of Naval Armaments to build the TESEO MK2/E anti-ship missile for the Italian Navy, according to the company.
The award transitions the programme from development into serial production, following a 2021 contract that covered design, integration and qualification work.
The production run will supply new-generation TESEO MK2/E missiles for multiple Italian surface combatants, including FREMM EVO frigates, the MPCS/PPA multi-role ships, and the planned DDX destroyers. MBDA said the missile will also operate alongside the existing MK2/A variant already fitted to FREMM and Horizon class vessels, according to the company.
MBDA describes TESEO MK2/E as a substantially redesigned weapon that uses an Active Electronically Scanned Array seeker and modern datalink functions to enable in-flight control. The company said these features allow the missile to engage very long range naval and land targets, and to be retasked in flight via satellite communications, giving the system a secondary deep strike role, according to the company.
The contract announcement framed the TESEO MK2/E as exportable technology. MBDA’s Lorenzo Mariani, Executive Group Director of Sales and Business Development and Managing Director of MBDA in Italy, was quoted in the press release describing the deal as a validation of the programme’s progress and industrial alignment with the Italian Navy.
“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,” he said in the press release.
MBDA said the new missile builds on decades of experience with the TESEO family, historically marketed as OTOMAT, and that production will support Italy’s plans to fit next-generation surface ships with a modern anti-ship and land attack option, according to the company.
Well “every little helps”.
(Oh come on, It ain’t that difficult).
Yeah, I too read the headline and wondered whether we were already at that level of Bladerunner dystopia.
Well I hope I get a heap of Clubcard points !
An open goal, that one.
Last time we had a TESEO article here, quite a few years back now, the obvious Tesco jokes appeared.
Agree, it’s hard to read it as anything but.
We prefer Waitrose ourselves!
Have to confess, i read that as Tesco. Must get new specs, but a trip down the Missile aisle tonight could be interesting and informative. Bust my limit on contactless if i were to buy of course!
Likewise, Tim!
Xmas pressies.
For the RN. An air launched ASM would be top of my shopping list, and TLAM type on T26.
For the RAF, a long range Land Attack type, the 2000 mile type likes of which J often mentions and which MoD have made noise about.
For the Army, Brimstone, to finally replace Swingfire, LRPS for M270, and lastly, some sort of SAM for UK GBAD, I’ll let others choose the best type mix there.
Not trying to be greedy, but thinking of what is urgent?
Remember when MBDA was suppose to be about consolidation of European missiles. MBDA has 5 anti ships missiles in production or under development
For different requirements.
This Italian missile goes a long way back and is understood and integrated.
It is also relatively cheap. It is an ideal middle of the road weapon that can be stockpile in quantity.
Also NSM is a thing.
It’s got a far bit more range than NSM at 350kms.
True but that is one hell of a length of kill chain to support.
How are the Italians going to see 350km out to the target without something like an E3 – which they cannot use? This smells more like a surface attach missile that can be used to support troops being landed or ashore without exposing the combatant to shore fires?
Otherwise it does suggest that there is a plan to get some STOL drones with radar etc onto the the various ski jump carriers that are now about.
To be honest when it comes to naval warfare I’m and always have been completely unconvinced around any kill chain beyond the radar horizon of the launch platform.
For me it’s all about land attack when missiles are given ranges of hundreds of miles.. when it comes to peer warfare everyone is going to be hiding and listening.. the whole what about drones etc does not change the fact the drones will need to radiate for detection and communications.. which means all the targets need to do is detect and kill the drones etc and the long range kill chain is done..
The thing to remember is each nation still has its own IP so MBDA still has to firewall and protect that, it’s why it’s made of so many distinct subsidiaries as each nation still needs to protect its sovereign knowledge base..They are also different weight classes
1) Marte mk2/ER Italian meduim range ( 30-60km )
2) Tesco mk 2 Italian long range (350km)
3) MM40 french (180km
What it does allow is for far easier collaboration as profits are essentially pooled into the main Company from the subsidiary companies and then to the shareholders.
Love the “Tesco” bit….if only available atTesco!
Yep there is no edit forgiveness on this site.. you forgot to proof your done..
We are back again then !
That’s 3 times this site has crashed in just a few weeks, Anyone know if it’s being targeted ?
If targeted, for all our free good advice and comments!?
Yup, every few weeks the Russians rock up and scrape all the comments off the site to give to their design bureaus 😁
Oh, bugger, I must stop being so serious then.
If I recall the RN looked at Otomat as a Harpoon replacement a while back.
There is a capability, price and there is integration.
Whilst everything is ‘open architecture’ these days the question is has it been integrated with something similar to derisk it.
As this is an interim step before the various Anglo-French wonder missiles then spending big on a risky integration wasn’t high on the agenda. Look how well that worked out with the ‘at pace’ addition of NSM…..
You sound a bit suspect of the RN getting its super missiles anytime soon.
Priorities really.
T31 won’t have its VLS on the first couple.
T26 will prioritise getting through trials and then ASW.
So my *guess* is that testing a *new* missile won’t be in the top 10 things to do.
I hope I am very wrong.
My guess is that it will be tested by the first T31 with VLS. As they are simpler they should *hopefully* be easier to work up.
I misread the headline as TESCO….
You missed all the comments too.
Read the other comments? … good grief, you’ll be suggesting I act intelligently next.