Mark 41 Vertical Launch System

Mk 41 Vertical Launching System
A single 8-cell Mk 41 VLS module fitted to New Zealand frigate HMNZS Te Kaha
Type	Missile Launching System
Place of origin	United States of America
Service history
In service	1986 – present
Used by	United States Navy and a number of others
Wars	Cold War Tanker War Gulf War Kosovo War War on Terror
Production history
Designed	1970s
Manufacturer	Martin Marietta Lockheed Martin
Variants	Mk 57

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. The Vertical Launch System (VLS) concept was derived from work on the Aegis Combat System.

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. Originally, the system was only intended to fire the RIM-66 Standard missile, but after the United States Navy decided that all VLS had to be capable of firing the Tomahawk missile, with a consequential increase in the height of the Mk 41 to accommodate the larger missile. The prototype for the launcher was tested and evaluated onboard USS Norton Sound (AVM-1). The first operational launcher was installed aboard USS Bunker Hill.

The Mk 41 is capable of firing the following missiles: RIM-66 Standard, RIM-67 Standard, RIM-161 Standard Missile 3, RIM-174 Standard ERAM, RGM-109 Tomahawk, RUM-139 VL-ASROC, RIM-7 Sea Sparrow, and RIM-162 ESSM. 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. Launcher cells are fitted to ships in 8 cell (2 rows of 4) modules that share a common uptake hatch (exhaust system) sited between the two rows. 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 (missile length) of the launcher comes in three sizes: 209 inches (5.3 m) for the self-defense version, 266 inches (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 (12,200 kg) for the self-defense version, 29,800 pounds (13,500 kg) for the tactical version, and 32,000 pounds (15,000 kg) for the strike version. Originally, one module would consist of five cells and a collapsible crane for assisting with replenishment at sea, but replenishment of large missiles at sea was later seen as impractical and dangerous, and modules with the cranes fell out of use.