Direct proof of use
The Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile is documented in the Yemen-war record through USS Mason's October 2016 self-defense engagement in the Red Sea. USNI News reported that Mason launched two SM-2 missiles and one Evolved Seasparrow Missile while defending Mason and nearby USS Ponce from two suspected cruise missiles fired from the Yemeni shore.
The engagement took place while Mason was operating in international waters north of Bab el-Mandeb. USNI's account, based on defense officials, also records Nulka decoy use and notes that the crew was uncertain whether an interceptor destroyed one incoming missile or whether it fell into the water on its own.
Sources: USNI Mason ESSM engagement
Timeline
On October 9, 2016, two suspected cruise missiles were fired from Yemen toward U.S. Navy ships operating near Bab el-Mandeb. During that engagement, USS Mason fired one ESSM as part of a layered defensive response that also included SM-2 missiles and Nulka decoys.
On October 12, the U.S. Navy announced strikes against three radar sites in Houthi-controlled territory on Yemen's Red Sea coast. The Navy statement said those sites were involved in recent missile launches threatening USS Mason and other vessels in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb.
Sources: USNI Mason ESSM engagement, U.S. Navy radar-site strike statement
Narrative
ESSM's Yemen role was ship self-defense and force protection rather than offensive strike. Raytheon describes ESSM as an at-sea self-defense effector for participating navies, including defense against agile low-altitude anti-ship cruise missiles, low-velocity air threats, and maneuvering surface threats.
In the October 2016 incident, the missile was one layer in Mason's defensive response to suspected Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles. The Washington Institute summarized the same engagement as Mason firing two Standard Missile 2 interceptors and one RIM-162 ESSM while also activating a Nulka decoy; it assessed that the incoming missiles appeared to have crashed into the sea, whether because of U.S. countermeasures or malfunction.
Official U.S. statements after the incident focused on the threat to USS Mason and other vessels rather than the individual interceptor types used. DOD News reported that later U.S. strikes targeted radar sites assessed as involved in attempted missile attacks against Mason and other vessels, while adding that the strikes were framed as protection of U.S. ships, crews, and freedom of navigation through Bab el-Mandeb.
Sources: RTX ESSM Missile, Washington Institute Mason attacks, DOD News radar-site strikes
