Mk 26 missile launcher

Mark 26 Guided Missile Launching System
A RIM-66 Standard MR on a Mark 26 launcher, USS Ticonderoga, 1983.
Type	Guided Missile Launching System
Place of origin	United States of America
Service history
In service	1976 - 2005 (USN)
Used by	United States Navy Republic of China Navy
Wars	Cold War
Production history
Designed	1970s
Manufacturer	FMC / United Defense / BAE
No. built	26 systems on 13 ships
Variants	Mod 0 to 5
Specifications
Rate of fire	2 missiles every 9 seconds 1 second salvo delay

The Mark 26 Guided Missile Launching System (GMLS) was a United States Navy fully automated system that stows, handles, and launches a variety of missiles. The system supported RIM-66 Standard, RUR-5 ASROC, and potentially other weapons. The Mark 26 had the shortest reaction time and the fastest firing rate of any comparable dual arm shipboard launching system at the time. With only one man at the control console, a weapon can be selected, hoisted to the guide arm, and launched. Several mods (0 to 5) provided magazine capabilities of 24 to 64 missiles.

The Mark 26 was installed aboard the Virginia-class cruiser, the Kidd-class destroyer, and the early Ticonderoga-class cruiser. It was one of the last rail-based missile launchers used by the US Navy. The system was deployed in limited numbers due to the advent of the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System; only the first five of twenty-seven Ticonderoga cruisers carried the Mark 26. With the Mark 26, two missiles could be on the rails and it could sustain a 9-second firing rate with a one-second salvo delay. This was faster than prior launchers that required manually winging and finning of the missiles prior to loading on the rail. However, with the Mark 41 VLS, any missile could be on standby to fire at a given time with a faster firing rate.

The VLS system design size also permitted the carrying of larger missiles like the Tomahawk missile and extended range Standard Missiles which are around 21 feet (6.4 m) long with boosters. The Mark 26 was limited to 16.6 feet (5.1 m) maximum missile length. The 61 cell Mark 41 VLS also exceeded the Mark 26 Mod 5 capacity of 44 missiles for Aegis cruisers.

From a maintenance standpoint, VLS has fewer moving parts than the Mark 26 and is thus less prone to failure. It also has 360 degree coverage, while the Mark 26 would be limited by the ship's structure. For example, a forward Mark 26 launcher could not shoot at a target aft of the ship due to firing cut outs.

Due to issues with the vertically launched ASROC, ships with VLS had to wait until 1993 to have the capability to fire RUM-139 VL-ASROC. The Mark 26 provided ASROC capability in the late 1970s.