Missile launching system
The
Mark 41 Vertical Launching System
(
Mk 41 VLS
) is a shipborne missile canister launching system which provides a rapid-fire launch capability against hostile threats.
[1]
The
Vertical Launch System
(VLS) concept was derived from work on the
Aegis Combat System
.
[2]
History
[
edit
]
Refinement of the initial concept of Aegis system in the 1960s continued through the 1960s and 1970s, and the Mk 41 was conceived in 1976.
[2]
Originally, the system was only intended to fire the
RIM-66 Standard
missile, but the height of the Mk 41 was increased to accommodate the larger
Tomahawk
missile.
[2]
The prototype for the launcher was tested and evaluated on board
USS
Norton Sound
. The first operational launcher was installed aboard
USS
Bunker Hill
.
[2]
Combat history
[
edit
]
On 12 October 2016,
USS
Mason
(DDG-87)
was targeted by missiles fired from Yemeni territory while operating in the
Bab-el-Mandeb
strait.
[3]
Mason
was not hit by the two missiles, which were fired from near the city of
Al Hudaydah
.
[3]
While the Navy is not certain whether the first incoming missile was intercepted or it just fell into the sea, officials claim
Mason
successfully intercepted the second missile at a distance of about 8 miles (13 km),
[4]
marking the first time in history a warship destroyed an inbound anti-ship missile with a SAM in actual self-defense and the first time the Mk41 VLS did so.
Specifications
[
edit
]
Mark 41 (Mk 41)
[
edit
]
The Mk 41 is capable of firing the following missiles:
[5]
[2]
[6]
[7]
Surface-to-air
[
edit
]
Surface-to-surface
[
edit
]
Anti-submarine
[
edit
]
Electronic warfare
[
edit
]
The missiles are pre-loaded into "canisters", which are then loaded into the individual "cells" of the launcher. The
ESSM
is loaded in a quad-pack with 4 missiles in one Mk 25 canister, older types of 8 cell modules are not able to use
ESSM
.
[2]
[8]
Lockheed Martin
has developed the Host Extensible Launching System (ExLS), an adapter for Mark 41 and Mark 57 vertical launching systems that was designed to allow for easier integration of new or existing weapon systems such as
Nulka
,
RAM Block 2
,
CAMM
and
CAMM-ER
, and the
Joint Air to Ground Missile (JAGM)
in a quad-packed configuration.
[7]
[9]
[10]
[11]
Some munitions under development such as
CAMM-MR
are planned to be dual-packed (likely with ExLS) with two missiles sharing a single canister enabling larger and longer range munitions to be carried in greater quantity.
[12]
Launcher cells are fitted to ships in 8 cell modules (2 rows of 4) that share a common uptake hatch (exhaust system) sited between the two rows.
[2]
The Mk 41 VLS adopts modular design concept, which result in different versions that vary in size and weight due to different "canisters" in various modules. The height (determining missile length) of the launcher comes in three sizes: 209 inches (5.3 m) for the self-defense version, 266 in (6.8 m) for the tactical version, and 303 inches (7.7 m) for the strike version. The empty weight for an 8-cell module is 26,800 pounds (12.2 t) for the self-defense version, 29,800 pounds (13.5 t) for the tactical version, and 32,000 pounds (15 t) for the strike version.
[2]
Ticonderoga
cruisers and
Arleigh Burke
destroyers up to DDG-78 have a Strikedown module fore and aft, which consists of five cells and a collapsible crane for assisting with
replenishment at sea
. As replenishment of large missiles at sea was later seen as impractical and dangerous, Strikedown modules fell out of use on newer ships.
[2]
Mark 56 (Mk 56) VLS and Mark 57 (Mk 57) PVLS
[
edit
]
The Mk 56 VLS is an evolution of the tactical length Mk 41 VLS which is a smaller version of the strike length Mk 41 used on
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers
.
The Mk 57 Peripheral Vertical Launch System (PVLS) used on the
Zumwalt-class destroyers
is composed of much larger VLS cells capable of venting much larger volume and mass of exhaust gasses (mass flow rate), but is an evolution of the smaller unarmored Mk 56 VLS. The Mk 57 PVLS are designed to be installed on the ship periphery with armor on the inboard boundary, instead of in centralized magazines used in the Mk 41.
Developed by
Raytheon
, Mk 57 provides
backward compatibility
with existing missiles while allowing new missiles with significantly increased propulsion and payloads. While allowing for larger missiles than the Mk 41, the primary improvement of Mk 57 is its exhaust gas management system which can accommodate new missile designs having up to 45 percent greater rocket motor mass flow rate than that of Mk 41.
[13]
The unique symmetric geometry of the U-shaped gas management system facilitates the egress of gases, while minimizing flow into adjacent cells and reversed flow into the active cell. Another advantage is the elimination of the water deluge system, which is used to cool the missile canister in the event that the missile restraint bolts do not release after rocket motor ignition. Elimination of the water deluge system significantly reduces maintenance and personnel requirements, and protects against accidental missile wet-down.
Vertical Missile Launcher Mk 57 GMVLS specifications
[14]
Missiles
|
4 cells
|
Width
|
7.25 ft (2.21 m)
|
Length
|
14.2 ft (4.3 m)
|
Height
|
26 ft (7.9 m)
|
Weight
|
33,600 lb (15,200 kg)
|
Maximum canister width
|
28 in (0.71 m)
|
Maximum canister length
|
283 in (7.2 m)
|
Maximum canistered weight
|
9,020 lb (4,090 kg)
|
Variants
[
edit
]
- MK 41 Mod 0,
Ticonderoga
-class cruisers
, two 61 cell Vertical Launcher Mk 158 Mod 0 or Mod 1, forward and aft.
[8]
- MK 41 Mod 1,
Spruance
-class destroyers
, 61 cells forward.
[8]
- MK 41 Mod 2,
Arleigh Burke
-class destroyers
, DDG-51 to DDG-78, one 29 cell Vertical Launcher Mk 159 Mod 0 forward, one 61 cell Vertical Launcher Mk 158 Mod 0 aft.
[8]
- MK 41 Mod unknown,
Constellation-class frigates
, 32 cells.
- MK 41 Mod unknown, Deveselu Military Base
- MK 41 Mod 3,
Brandenburg
-class frigates
(Germany), 16 cells.
- MK 41 Mod 5,
Anzac
-class frigates
(Australia, New Zealand), 8 cells
- MK 41 Mod 7,
Arleigh Burke
-class destroyers, DDG-79 to DDG-91, one 32 cell Vertical Launcher Mk 177 Mod 0 forward, one 64 cell Vertical Launcher Mk 176 Mod 0 aft.
[8]
[15]
- MK 41 Mod 8,
Barbaros
-class frigates
(Turkey), 8 or 16 cells
- MK 41 Mod 9,
De Zeven Provincien
-class frigates
(Netherlands), 40 cells
- MK 41 Mod 10,
Sachsen
-class frigates
(Germany), 32 cells
- MK 41 Mod 15,
Arleigh Burke
-class destroyers, DDG-92 and up, one 32 cell Vertical Launcher Mk 177 Mod 3 forward, one 64 cell Vertical Launcher Mk 176 Mod 2 aft.
[8]
[15]
- MK 41 Mod 16,
Adelaide
-class frigates
(Australia), 8 cells
- MK 70 Mod 1
,
containerized
four-cell launcher
Operators
[
edit
]
-
Australia
-
Canada
-
Chile
-
Denmark
-
Finland
-
Germany
-
Japan
-
Netherlands
-
Norway
-
South Korea
-
Spain
-
Taiwan
-
Thailand
-
Turkey
-
United Kingdom
-
United States
- Spruance
-class destroyer - (61 cells, installed on 24 of 31 vessels) (Retired)
- Arleigh Burke
-class destroyer - (90 or 96 cells)
- Ticonderoga
-class cruiser - (122 cells)
- Zumwalt
-class destroyer
- (80 Mk 57 cells)
- Constellation
-class frigate
- (32 MK 41 cells)
- DDG(X)
class
destroyer
- (At minimum up to 128 cells (4x32 module configuration), dependent on number of hypersonic missiles carried as per current US Navy design proposal)
Gallery
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Mark 41 Vertical Launching System"
. Retrieved
21 September
2011
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
Friedman, Norman (2006).
The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems
(5th ed.). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. p. 600.
- ^
a
b
LaGrone, Sam (12 October 2016).
"Pentagon Pledges to Respond in 'Appropriate Manner' After New Yemen Missile Attack on USS Mason"
.
USNI News
. U.S. Naval Institute
. Retrieved
12 October
2016
.
- ^
Copp, Tara (13 October 2016).
"Aegis defense system helped stop missile attack on USS Mason"
. Stars and Stripes
. Retrieved
15 October
2016
.
- ^
"Exclusive: New Details on the Kongsberg Vertical Launch Joint Strike Missile (VL JSM)"
.
Navy Reckognition
. 14 January 2015
. Retrieved
9 January
2022
.
- ^
"Lockheed Martin Successfully Launches First LRASM Boosted Test Vehicle From MK 41 VLS"
.
Navy Recognition
. Retrieved
2023-10-30
.
- ^
a
b
"Host Extensible Launching System"
(PDF)
.
Lockheed Martin
. 2019
. Retrieved
1 November
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
NAVEDTRA 14324, Gunner's Mate, Chapter 7.
- ^
Allison, George (2018-04-17).
"CAMM completes qualification trials from Lockheed Martin launcher"
. Retrieved
2023-11-01
.
- ^
"CAMM | FORCE PROTECTION, Ground Based Air Defence"
.
MBDA
. Retrieved
2023-11-01
.
- ^
"Common Anti Air Missile (CAMM) - Think Defence"
.
www.thinkdefence.co.uk
. 2022-11-05
. Retrieved
2023-11-01
.
- ^
"UK, Poland To Advance Development Of Longer Range Air Defense Missile | Aviation Week Network"
.
aviationweek.com
. Retrieved
2023-09-07
.
- ^
Mk 57
- ^
"MK 57 Vertical Launching System Zumwalt Class Destroyer Program"
(PDF)
.
- ^
a
b
"U.S. Navy Guided Missile Launcher Systems"
. Archived from
the original
on 2022-07-25
. Retrieved
2014-05-15
.
- ^
Everington, Keoni (20 November 2019).
"Mysterious radar ship spotted off coast of S. Taiwan"
.
www.taiwannews.com.tw
. Taiwan News
. Retrieved
15 April
2020
.
External links
[
edit
]