BAE Systems has won a U.S. Navy competition to serve as the design agent for the mechanical portion of the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS).
The contract calls for BAE Systems to provide design, development, test, product improvement, and sustaining support for current and legacy VLS systems. The company will also continue to design and support canisters used to store, transport, and launch the missiles from the VLS.
Work on the contract will begin immediately and will primarily be performed in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The Mk 41 VLS is capable of launching a broad range of missiles, including the Standard Missile SM-2, SM-3, and SM-6 variants; the Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missile; the NATO Seasparrow and Evolved Seasparrow; and the Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket.
The Mk 41 VLS is also deployed with the navies of Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Spain, and Turkey.
