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Surface Vessel Weapon System Mk.41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) |
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| 03/25 |
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The Lockheed Martin 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. The vertical launching system (VLS) concept
was derived from work on the Aegis Combat System. The missiles are pre-loaded into "canisters", which are then loaded into the individual "cells" of the launcher. A cell may have 1, 2, or 4 missiles. Several models of missiles are integrated into the Mk 41 and Mk 57 systems through the Host Extensible Launch System (ExLS) developed by Lockheed Martin. 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. 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. 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. The Mk 41 is capable of firing the following missiles: RIM-66 Standard Missile MR RIM-67 Standard Missile ER RIM-156 Standard Missile ER RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 RIM-174 Standard ERAM RIM-7 Sea Sparrow RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) CAMM / CAMM-ER / CAMM-MR RGM-109 Tomahawk Joint Strike Missile - JSM RGM-179 JAGM AGM-148 LRASM RUM-139 VL-ASROC Models: Mk 41 / Mod.0 - Ticonderoga class CG (61 cells forward & aft) Mk 41 / Mod.1 - Spruance class DD (61 cells forward) Mk 41 / Mod.2 - Arleigh Burke class DDG / DDG 51-78 (29 cells forward, 61 cells aft) Mk 41 / Mod.3 - Brandenburg class Frigate / Germany (16 cells) Mk 41 / Mod.5 - Anzac class Frigate / Australia (8 cells) Mk 41 / Mod.7 - Arleigh Burke class DDG / DDG 79-91 (32 cells forward, 64 cells aft) Mk 41 / Mod.8 - Barbaros class Frigate / Turkey (16 cells) Mk-41 / Mod.9 - De Zeven Provincien class Frigate / Netherlands (40 cells) Mk 41 / Mod.10 - Sachsen class Frigate / Germany (32 cells) Mk 41 / Mod.15 - Arleigh Burke class DDG / DDG 92 and up (32 cells forward, 64 cells aft) Mk 41 / Mod.16 - Adelaide class Frigate / Australia (8 cells) Users: |
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 aft Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (61 cells) aboard an US Navy Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  aft Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (64 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer  aft Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (61 cells) aboard an US Navy Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  forward Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (32 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer  aft Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (61 cells) aboard an US Navy Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  aft Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (61 cells) aboard an US Navy Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  aft Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (61 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer  aft Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (61 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer  aft Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (61 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer  forward Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (32 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer  forward Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (32 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (32 cells) aboard a Royal Danish Navy Iver Huitfeldt class Guided Missile Frigate  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (8 cells) aboard a Royal Norwegian Navy Fridtjof Nansen class Frigate  forward Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (32 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (32 cells) aboard a German Navy Sachsen class Guided Missile Frigate firing an RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles / ESSM Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (32 cells) aboard a German Navy Sachsen class Guided Missile Frigate firing an RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles / ESSM  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (48 cells) aboard a Royal Australian Navy Hobart class Guided Missile Destroyer  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (8 cells) aboard a Royal Norwegian Navy Fridtjof Nansen class Frigate firing an RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles / ESSM  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (8 cells) aboard a Royal Norwegian Navy Fridtjof Nansen class Frigate firing an RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles / ESSM  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (8 cells) aboard a Royal Norwegian Navy Fridtjof Nansen class Frigate firing an RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles / ESSM  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (8 cells) aboard a Royal Norwegian Navy Fridtjof Nansen class Frigate firing an RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles / ESSM  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (8 cells) aboard a Royal Norwegian Navy Fridtjof Nansen class Frigate firing an RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles / ESSM  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (48 cells) aboard a Royal Australian Navy Hobart class Guided Missile Destroyer firing a Standard Missile SM-2MR  a RIM-161 Standard Missile SM-3 was fired from the Mk.41 VLS aboard an US Navy Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  a RIM-161 Standard Missile SM-3 was fired from the Mk.41 VLS aboard an US Navy Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  a RIM-156 Standard Missile SM-2MR was fired from the Mk.41 VLS aboard an US Navy Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  a RIM-161 Standard Missile SM-3 was fired from the Mk.41 VLS aboard an US Navy Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  a RIM-161 Standard Missile SM-3 was fired from the Mk.41 VLS aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer  a RIM-66 Standard Missile SM-2MR was fired from the Mk.41 VLS aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer  a RIM-161 Standard Missile SM-3 was fired from the Mk.41 VLS aboard an US Navy Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  a RIM-161 Standard Missile SM-3 was fired from the Mk.41 VLS aboard an US Navy Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  a RIM-161 Standard Missile SM-3 was fired from the Mk.41 VLS aboard an US Navy Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  a RIM-161 Standard Missile SM-3 was fired from the Mk.41 VLS aboard an US Navy Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  a RIM-161 Standard Missile SM-3 was fired from the Mk.41 VLS aboard an US Navy Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  a RIM-161 Standard Missile SM-3 was fired from the Mk.41 VLS aboard an US Navy Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  a RIM-161 Standard Missile SM-3 was fired from the Mk.41 VLS aboard an US Navy Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  a BGM-109 Tomahawk land attack missile was fired from the Mk.41 VLS aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer  a RIM-161 Standard Missile SM-3 was fired from the Mk.41 VLS aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer  a BGM-109 Tomahawk land attack missile was fired from the Mk.41 VLS aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (8 cells) aboard a Royal New Zealand Navy Anzac class Frigate  Mk.41 VLS (32 cells) aboard a Japan Maritime Self Defense Force Akizuki class Destroyer  forward Mk.41 VLS (29 cells) aboard a Japan Maritime Self Defense Force Kongou class DDG  aft Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (61 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer - missile canister reload  forward Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (32 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer - missile canister reload  aft Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (64 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer - missile canister reload  forward Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (32 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer - missile canister reload  aft Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (64 cells) aboard an US Navy Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser - missile canister reload  aft Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (64 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer - missile canister reload  forward Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (32 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer - missile canister reload  forward Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (32 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer - missile canister reload  Sailors aboard the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Chosin (CG 65) used the hydraulically-powered Transferrable Reload At-sea Method (TRAM) device to load an empty missile canister into the ship’s Mk. 41 vertical launching system (VLS) while off the coast of San Diego on October 11, 2024. The successful demonstration marks a critical step in the capability to rearm warships at sea.  forward Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (32 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer - missile canister reload  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (32 cells) aboard a Royal Danish Navy Iver Huitfeldt class Guided Missile Frigate  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (32 cells) aboard a Royal Danish Navy Iver Huitfeldt class Guided Missile Frigate  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (32 cells) aboard a Royal Danish Navy Iver Huitfeldt class Guided Missile Frigate  forward Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS (32 cells) aboard an US Navy Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer - reloading with the VLS loading crane  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) missile canister reload  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) missile canister reload  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) missile canister reload  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) missile canister reload  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) missile canister reload  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) missile canister reload                    standard missile canister  VLS loading crane aboard an Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer  VLS loading crane aboard an Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer  VLS loading crane aboard an Arleigh Burke class Guided Missile Destroyer   RIM-162 ESSM quad canister    an 8-cell module was installed into a Mk.41 VLS aboard a Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  an 8-cell module was installed into a Mk.41 VLS aboard a Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser  Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS - 1984 |
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