HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej and HTMS Taksin of the Royal Thai Navy Conduct First ESSM Surface-to-air Missile Firing Exercise

29 Juli 2024

RIM-162 ESSM (Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile) surface-to-air missile has a range of around 50km (photo: RTN)

HTMS Bhumibol Dulyadej from 1st Frigate Squadron and Naresuan-class frigates HTMS Taksin from 2nd Frigate Squadron of the Royal Thai Navy, have successfully launched their first RIM-162 ESSM (Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile) surface-to-air missile. 

In a live fire exercise on 25 July 2024 in the Gulf of Thailand, HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej and HTMS Taksin successfully fired one ESSM surface-to-air missile from each ship's Mk 41 VLS (Vertical Launching System) to destroy a Naval Ordnance Department Banshee air target at ranges of 7nmi and 8.5nmi, respectively.

HTMS Taksin fires ESSM during exercise (photo: RTN)

The ESSM surface-to-air missile firing exercise also marks the closing of the 2024 annual naval exercise, which was held on March 5, 2024, and will be followed by a sea-based exercise (FTX: Field Training Exercise) in May 2024.

This included the first training session of Mk46 light torpedo firing from HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej together with two Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk anti-submarine helicopters from Squadron 2, HTMS Chakri Naruebet Flight Unit, Royal Thai Naval Air Division (RTNAD), proving the ship's capabilities in both Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti-Air Warfare (AAW) aspects.

HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej fires ESSM during exercise (photo: RTN)

HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej is the latest high-performance frigate of the Royal Thai Navy, built by the DSME shipyard of the Republic of Korea (now Hanwha Ocean) and commissioned in 2019. The two frigates of the HTMS Naresuan-class, HTMS Naresuan and HTMS Taksin, built in China, were commissioned in 1995 and underwent a capability upgrade in 2011, with Saab of Sweden as the prime contractor.

Each ship is equipped with eight Mk 41 VLS vertical launchers, which are ready to receive up to 32 rounds of ESSM surface-to-air missiles in four Mk25 Quad-Pack Canisters. This latest ESSM firing exercise is the second since the first firing conducted by HTMS Naresuan in the CARAT 2015 exercise in 2015.

(AAG)