Lockheed Martin awarded MK 41 VLS contract
Lockheed Martin will provide an engineering design service for the MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) under a contract issued by the US Navy, announced on 3 June. The $10 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract combines purchases for the US Navy and eight allied navies under the US Foreign Military Sales programme.
The contract covers missile integration, software development, integration of VLS into new ships, technical refresh, systems engineering and life cycle support for MK 41 VLS; including for the US Navy’s Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers.
The MK 41 VLS is designed to contribute toward fleet protection from naval warfare threats. It is capable of launching anti-air, anti-submarine, surface-to-surface and strike missiles, and can receive orders from multiple weapon control systems to handle a wide range of warfighting missions.
Joe North, vice president of Littoral Ship Systems, Lockheed Martin’s Mission System and Training, said: ‘This award continues our legacy of reliability and performance on the VLS programme. We remain proud to work with the navy to make the MK 41 VLS the world’s premier below-deck, multi-mission launching system and take the responsibility the navy has entrusted to us very seriously.’
This contract includes options, which if exercised would bring the total contract value to $182 million.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA]()
Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA
The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.
-
![Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development]()
Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development
Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.
-
![Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies]()
Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies
A new Council on Geostrategy primer warns that NATO cannot defend its own supply lines. As the alliance faces a sealift and logistics escort deficit, a wave of unawarded procurement is beginning to take shape.
-
![AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise]()
AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise
The AUKUS partnership is accelerating uncrewed undersea capability while its submarine arm inches forward, and Australia’s decision to settle for three in-service Virginia-class boats raises questions about industrial risk, dependency and whether Pillar II may deliver meaningful capability long before Pillar I can.
-
![Peru partnership may serve as a template for South Korean naval exports into South America]()
Peru partnership may serve as a template for South Korean naval exports into South America
With a growing pipeline of naval modernisation programmes in South America, South Korean companies could be set to expand their presence in the region as recent contract wins highlight growing collaboration.
