BAE to provide VLS Mk 41 missile canisters to US Navy
BAE Systems has received a contract modification to provide additional Vertical Launching System (VLS) Mk 41 missile canisters to the US Navy, the company said on 13 April.
The $52.9 million contract modification will see BAE produce canisters used to ship, store and launch various types of missiles from navy ships. The canisters are positioned within the Mk 41 VLS, which is located below a ship’s armoured deck.
Work on the contract modification will continue through June 2017, and the full contract will continue through June 2019.
VLS canisters serve as missile shipping and storage containers and, with a rocket motor exhaust, serve as a launch rail to support fly-out during missile firings. They also provide identification and firing support to multiple missile types, including Tomahawks, Standard Missile-3, Standard Missile-6, and SeaSparrow.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![UK’s Type 31 frigate balances cost pressure with long-term export ambition]()
UK’s Type 31 frigate balances cost pressure with long-term export ambition
The UK shipbuilder’s full-year results to the end of March revealed the impact of the £140 million charge linked to design changes and rework on the Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigate programme.
-
![US Navy expands non-standard acquisitions to rapidly field emerging technologies]()
US Navy expands non-standard acquisitions to rapidly field emerging technologies
The US Navy is increasing the use of OTA obligations to accelerate the procurement of seabed-subsea, littoral, expeditionary and uncrewed solutions.
-
![Can Portugal solve NATO’s uncrewed systems development challenge?]()
Can Portugal solve NATO’s uncrewed systems development challenge?
NATO has spent more than a decade building one of the world’s most sophisticated maritime uncrewed experimentation ecosystems, but still lacks a way to translate this testing into alliance-wide operational capability. Portugal now believes it has the answer.
-
![Eurosatory 2026: Schiebel’s frigate-first strategy indicates a shift in UAV competition]()
Eurosatory 2026: Schiebel’s frigate-first strategy indicates a shift in UAV competition
Schiebel is pursuing opportunities in the UK and France while leveraging its integration with Naval Group’s FDI frigate programme to create new naval business across Europe.
