Vertical Launching System

Vertical Launching System
U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 1st Class Michael W. Pendergrass. · Public domain · source
Name	Vertical Launching System
Type	Missile launching system

Vertical Launching System A Vertical Launching System is a shipboard weapon installation that houses and fires missiles from belowdeck cells arranged vertically. VLS installations are integral to modern cruisers, destroyers, frigates and some amphibious warfare ships, enabling rapid employment of surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, anti-submarine rockets and land-attack cruise missiles. Major navies including the United States Navy, Royal Navy, Russian Navy, People's Liberation Army Navy, French Navy, Indian Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and Republic of Korea Navy have deployed ships with VLS arrays.

Overview

VLS replaced legacy armored deck launchers and rail or box launcher arrangements on vessels such as the USS Ticonderoga (CG-47), HMS Daring (D32), Kirov-class battlecruiser and Type 052D destroyer. The system stores missiles in individual cells, permitting mixed-loadouts of types like the RIM-162 ESSM, RIM-66 Standard Missile 2, RIM-174 Standard ERAM, Tomahawk (missile), Kalibr (missile), SCALP (missile), YJ-18 and VL MICA. VLS facilitates rapid salvo firing used during engagements such as the Gulf War, Operation Allied Force, Libya intervention (2011), and contemporary South China Sea and Eastern Mediterranean operations.

Design and Components

A VLS typically comprises a modular cell grid, power and cooling systems, a missile handling interface, and a fire-control connection to shipboard combat systems like the Aegis Combat System, PAAMS, Sampson radar, S1850M radar and SMART-L. Cells are constructed with blast-deflection features derived from designs by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing), Lockheed Martin, MBDA, NPO Mashinostroyeniya and CATIC. Common cell architectures include hot-launch and cold-launch methodologies developed from research at institutions such as Naval Surface Warfare Center and industrial programs at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Hanwha. Cell canisters and exhaust ducts interface with deck penetrations on platforms designed by shipbuilders including Ingalls Shipbuilding, BAE Systems, Severnaya Verf and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers.

Types and Configurations

VLS variants include the American Mk 41 VLS, Mk 57 Peripheral Vertical Launch System, Russian S-300F (SA-N-6) derivatives, French Sylver VLS, Japanese Type 12 VLS and Indian K-VLS. Configurations vary in cell count—from modest arrays on Littoral Combat Ship variants to extensive fields on Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier adaptations—and can be installed in clustered decks, box magazines, or peripheral mounts as seen on Zumwalt-class destroyer and Zumwalt-class's unique arrangements. Launch modes (hot vs cold) distinguish systems like the Mk 41 (hot) and Sylver (cold, with booster-assisted) and influence compatibility with missiles such as MBDA Aster and RIM-162 ESSM.

Operational Use and Procedures

VLS employment follows engagement procedures coordinated by combat direction centers using data from sensors including the AN/SPY-1, S1850M, SMART-L, EL/M-2248 MF-STAR and submarine sonars like the AN/SQS-53. Crew actions integrate missile loading, pre-launch checks, and strike planning under authorities such as ship commanding officers and strike commanders during tasking by formations like Carrier Strike Groups, Surface Action Groups and multinational forces such as NATO. Logistics involve vertical handling gear on deck, transfer from magazines as on USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), and compatibility testing with missile manufacturers including Raytheon, MBDA, NPO Novator and China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation.

Combat Systems Integration

VLS links to combat systems including Aegis, PAAMS, SICONTA, TACTICOS, CMS 330 and national command networks like Link 16 and Cooperative Engagement Capability. Integration enables layered defense using interceptors SM-2, SM-3, SM-6, Aster 15, Aster 30, RIM-162 ESSM Update and strike weapons such as Tomahawk Block IV. Fire-control loops coordinate with sensor fusion suites from contractors Northrop Grumman, Thales Group, Leonardo S.p.A. and naval research entities including DARPA and DSTL to support ballistic missile defense events like tests involving the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense program and regional exercises such as RIMPAC and Malabar.

Development and History

Early concepts trace to post-World War II experiments by United States Navy Bureau of Ships, Soviet Navy programs and Cold War industrial efforts by General Dynamics, Grumman, Yantar Shipyard and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The Mk 41 entered service on ships like USS Ticonderoga (CG-47) and USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), while European cooperation produced Sylver through MBDA and national agencies. Key historical milestones include operational employment during the Falklands War aftermath in doctrine updates, integration into Aegis cruisers, and iterative improvements after incidents involving deck damage and missile containment that spurred safety reviews by bodies such as US Navy boards and industry regulators.

Advantages, Limitations and Incidents

Advantages include rapid salvo capability demonstrated in exercises like Northern Edge and Joint Warrior, mixed-load flexibility used by Royal Navy and US Navy task groups, and reduced radar cross-section compared with deck launchers on designs from Navantia and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Limitations encompass vulnerable deck penetration risks highlighted by wartime damage studies from Defense Science and Technology Laboratory and accidental mishaps during trials involving contractors such as Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. Notable incidents influencing doctrine include investigations after missile motor failures on trials, deck blast damage aboard ships leading to redesigns, and peacetime mishaps that prompted procedural changes in navies including the Indian Navy and People's Liberation Army Navy.

Category:Naval weaponry