The Italian Navy has completed a validation test of MBDA’s TESEO MK2/E anti-ship missile, marking another step toward qualification and the beginning of production deliveries. The approximately 20-minute piloted cruise test was used to verify the missile’s range and validate its design. The MK2/E is expected to complete qualification before entering production, with deliveries scheduled to start in 2028. The weapon was launched as a development programme in 2021 and represents a new generation of the TESEO missile family. It is intended to supplement the Mk2/A already deployed on Italian FREMM and Horizon-class frigates. A production agreement signed in 2025 provides for the new missile to arm future Italian surface combatants, including FREMM EVO frigates, PPA vessels and DDX-class destroyers. Long-Range Strike WeaponThe MK2/E extends the TESEO family into both maritime and land-strike missions. Its guidance architecture incorporates a dual-mode seeker combining AESA radio-frequency technology, electronic counter-countermeasures and an electro-optical sensor. This enables the missile to identify and engage both naval and land targets with precision. Mission planning is automated, generating firing solutions while allowing crews to alter mission parameters in response to tactical developments. The missile also incorporates a two-way communications link through which operators can update targets, reassign the weapon or abort the mission after launch. The weapon flies at high-subsonic speed and is designed to perform high-G manoeuvres during its terminal attack phase. Its stated range exceeds 350 km (217 miles), compared with approximately 180 km (112 miles) for the Mk2/A. For navigation, the missile combines INS/GPS with a radar altimeter. This supports both low-altitude sea-skimming approaches and flight over land.
