On March 17, 2021, the European Missile Association MBDA announced that it had received the first launch contract for the supply of the new Teseo Mk 2/E (Teseo Evolved) anti-ship missile system to the Italian Navy.
Image of the missiles of the new MBDA Teseo Mk 2/E (Teseo Evolved) anti-ship missile system for the Italian Navy (c) MBDA
The Teseo Mk 2/E complex is a further development of the well-known OTOMAT anti-ship missile system with a subsonic anti-ship missile with a turbojet engine, traditionally referred to in the Italian Navy as Teseo. The OTOMAT complex was developed in the early 1970s jointly by the Italian company OTO Melara and the French Matra (now the former missile divisions of these companies are part of MBDA), but was actually produced only in Italy at the company OTO Melara (now MBDA Italia) in La Spezia (since 1974) and entered service with the Italian navy, and was also widely exported. A special feature of the Teseo complex (with missiles of the OTOMAT Mk 2 variants) was the use of data transmission equipment for external target designation, which provided the missile with the ability to be used for a significant range - up to 180-200 km.
Since 2007, the Italian Navy has received the Teseo Mk 2/A complex with a new OTOMAT Mk 2 Block IV missile with a new control system. A further development of this system is now the Teseo Mk 2/E (Teseo Evolved) complex, which uses a new rocket, sometimes referred to as the OTOMAT Mk 2 E. The creation of the Teseo Mk 2/E complex was carried out by MBDA Italia under a contract issued by the Italian Ministry of Defense in 2018 in the amount of 150 million euros. The complex was scheduled to enter service with the Italian Navy under this contract in 2026.
It is reported that the Teseo Mk 2/E missile complex is completely redesigned and equipped with a new turbojet engine of the American company Williams International (apparently used in Tomahawk cruise missiles), which allows you to bring the maximum firing range to 360 km (according to some sources, even to "more than 500 km"). The glider of the rocket is made with the introduction of stealth elements. A new dual-channel guidance system has been introduced on the rocket, combining a new active radar homing head with an AFAR developed by Leonardo and an infrared homing system of type IIR (according to some sources, borrowed from the MBDA Scalp/Storm Shadow aircraft cruise missile), which provides the possibility of high-precision destruction of ground targets, and two-way data transmission equipment will also be installed, which allows you to implement missile control over the entire flight path and "innovative mission planning". The warhead is also completely new. Thus, the missile of the Teseo Mk 2/E complex is actually a dual-purpose cruise missile.
It is reported that in the Italian Navy, this complex should receive two new large DDX-type destroyers planned for construction by 2030. However, it is possible that the Teseo Mk 2/E complex will be the first to receive the latest in a series of new "patrol ships" (actually large frigates) of the PRA type (Paolo Thaon di Reveltype), which are planned to be commissioned from 10 to 16 units in total for the Italian fleet. The first ships of this type receive the Teseo Mk 2/A missile system. In the future, it is expected that the Teseo Mk 2/E complex will replace the Teseo Mk 2/A systems on all ships of the Italian fleet, and will also be actively promoted for export.
Image of the missile of the new MBDA Teseo Mk 2/E (Teseo Evolved) anti-ship missile system for the Italian Navy (c) MBDA
