MBDA Secures Production Contract for TESEO MK2/E Anti-Ship Missile for Italian Navy
Italy’s Naval Armaments Directorate has contracted MBDA to produce TESEO MK2/E anti-ship missiles for the Italian Navy.
The contract covers the supply of the missile to equip the Italian Navy’s surface fleet, including the FREMM EVO-class frigates, the MPCS/PPA (Multi-Purpose Combat Ship/Pattugliatori Polivalenti d’Altura), and the forthcoming DDX-class destroyers.
The TESEO Mk2/E will operate alongside the earlier Mk2/A variant, which is already in service aboard the navy’s FREMM and Horizon-class frigates.
The production contract follows an earlier agreement signed in 2021 covering the development, integration, and qualification of the TESEO Mk2/E.
“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,” MBDA Executive Group Director of Sales & Business Development, and Managing Director of MBDA in Italy, Lorenzo Mariani, stated.
TESEO Mk2/E
Built to meet evolving threat profiles over the next two decades and beyond, the TESEO Mk2/E is designed to give the Italian fleet a long-range maritime strike option while also offering precision land-attack capability.
The missile integrates a dual-mode homing head that pairs a coherent radio-frequency seeker with electronic counter-countermeasure capability and an electro-optical sensor, enabling high-precision terminal engagement against both sea and land targets.
The missile’s navigation system blends an Inertial Navigation System (INS)/Global Positioning System (GPS) with a radar altimeter, enabling stable sea-skimming at high subsonic speed as well as precise over‑land flight.
Additional Features
It features an innovative mission-planning suite that provides rapid reaction capability and generates an automatic firing solution, while allowing the weapon-system operator to adjust mission parameters in real time according to the tactical picture.
Moreover, a secure two‑way data link enables in‑flight target updates and reassignment, and allows the mission to be aborted if required.
The missile cruises at high subsonic speed, executes high‑G terminal maneuvers, and has an effective sea‑skimming range in excess of 350 kilometers (217 miles).
It delivers a lethal effect through a scalable semi‑piercing/high‑explosive warhead, optimized to defeat both hardened ship structures and softer littoral/land targets while minimizing collateral damage.
