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Vertical launching system

March 12, 2023

For the Brazilian Space Agency launcher, see VLS-1.

A vertical launching system (VLS) is an advanced system for holding and firing missiles on mobile naval platforms, such as surface ships and submarines. Each vertical launch system consists of a number of cells, which can hold one or more missiles ready for firing. Typically, each cell can hold a number of different types of missiles, allowing the ship flexibility to load the best set for any given mission. Further, when new missiles are developed, they are typically fitted to the existing vertical launch systems of that nation, allowing existing ships to use new types of missiles without expensive rework. When the command is given, the missile flies straight up far enough to clear the cell and the ship, then turns on to the desired course.

The VLS cells on board USS San Jacinto
In December 1959, the U.S. Navy commissioned the USS George Washington (SSBN-598) as its first ballistic missile submarine, making it the first VLS submarine in the world to use nuclear rather than diesel propulsion
The Kara-class cruiser Azov was the first Soviet surface ship to be fitted with a VLS. The system in question contained 48 cells for 5V55RM missiles
A Tomahawk missile canister being offloaded from a VLS aboard the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur

A VLS allows surface combatants to have a greater number of weapons ready for firing at any given time compared to older launching systems such as the Mark 13 single-arm and Mark 26 twin-arm launchers, which were fed from behind by a magazine below the main deck. In addition to greater firepower, VLS is much more damage tolerant and reliable than the previous systems and has a lower radar cross-section (RCS). The U.S. Navy now relies exclusively on VLS for its guided missile destroyers and cruisers.

The most widespread vertical launch system in the world is the Mark 41, developed by the United States Navy. More than 11,000 Mark 41 VLS missile cells have been delivered, or are on order, for use on 186 ships across 19 ship classes, in 11 navies around the world. This system currently serves with the US Navy as well as the Australian, Danish, Dutch, German, Japanese, New Zealand, Norwegian, South Korean, Spanish, and Turkish navies, while others like the Greek Navy preferred the similar Mark 48 system.[1]

The advanced Mark 57 vertical launch system is used on the Zumwalt-class destroyer. The older Mark 13 and Mark 26 systems remain in service on ships that were sold to other countries such as Taiwan and Poland.

When installed on an SSN (nuclear-powered attack submarine), a VLS allows a greater number and variety of weapons to be deployed, compared with using only torpedo tubes.

Launch type

 
A RIM-156A missile launching from a VLS cell on USS Lake Erie in 2008.
 
US Navy Mark 41 Tomahawk hot launch.

A vertical launch system can be either hot launch, where the missile ignites in the cell, or cold launch, where the missile is expelled by gas produced by a gas generator which is not part of the missile itself, and then the missile ignites. "Cold" means relatively cold compared with rocket engine exhaust. A hot launch system does not require an ejection mechanism but does require some way of disposing of the missile's exhaust and heat as it departs the cell. If the missile ignites in a cell without an ejection mechanism, the cell must withstand the tremendous heat generated without igniting missiles in adjacent cells.

Hot launch

An advantage of a hot-launch system is that the missile propels itself out of the launching cell using its own engine, which eliminates the need for a separate system to eject the missile from the launching tube. This potentially makes a hot-launch system relatively light, small, and economical to develop and produce, particularly when designed around smaller missiles. A potential disadvantage is that a malfunctioning missile could destroy the launch tube. American surface-ship VLSs have missile cells arranged in a grid with one lid per cell and are "hot launch" systems. The engine ignites within the cell during the launch and so requires a way of venting rocket exhaust. France, Italy and Britain use a similar hot-launching Sylver system in PAAMS.

Cold launch

The advantage of the cold-launch system is in its safety: should a missile engine malfunction during launch, the cold-launch system can eject the missile, reducing or eliminating the threat. For this reason, Russian VLSs are often designed with a slant so that a malfunctioning missile will land in the water instead of on the ship's deck. As missile size grows, the benefits of ejection launching increase. Above a certain size, a missile booster cannot be safely ignited within the confines of a ship's hull. Most modern ICBMs and SLBMs are cold-launched. Russia produces both grid systems and a revolver arrangement with more than one missile per lid for its cold launch system. Russia also uses a cold launch system for some of its vertical launch missile systems, e.g., the Tor missile system.

Concentric canister launch

Some warships of China's People's Liberation Army Navy use a concentric canister launch (CCL) system that can launch using both hot and cold methods in the cell module, onboard the Type 052D destroyer and the Type 055 destroyer.[2] The universal launch system is offered for export.[3]

Older Chinese ships use single launch system: Type 052C destroyers, for example, use a cold launch system; Type 054A frigates, a hot launch system.[4]

Other platforms

Transporter erector launchers are wheeled or tracked land vehicles for the launch of surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles. In most systems the missiles are transported in a horizontal out-of-battery configuration: in order to fire, the vehicle must stop and the transport/launch tube must be raised to the vertical before firing.

BAE Systems has filed patents relating to the use of Vertical Launch missiles from modified passenger aircraft.[5]

Systems in use by nations

NATO

In 2021, the Centre for Military Studies published the total number of VLS cells in use with fourteen NATO navies. The results are displayed below.

Vertical Launch System Cells of 14 NATO Navies in 2020 (Centre for Military Studies)[6]
Country Ship classes and approx. number of VLS cells Total Strike Length VLS cells for Sea-Launched Cruise Missiles (SLCM)
  United States 8900 8700+ Arsenal of SLCM / Not included are VLS and BFM on submarines.
Europe total - 2328 688
  United Kingdom 704 -
  France 288 6 × 16 = 96 SLCM deployed on Aquitaine-class
  Denmark 240 3 x 32 = 96 / No SLCM
  Spain 240 5 × 48 = 240 / No SLCM
  Italy 224 No SLCM
  Canada 192 -
  Netherlands 192 4 × 40 = 160 / No SLCM
  Germany 160 3 × 32 = 96 / No SLCM
  Greece 160 -
  Turkey 174 -
  Norway 40 -
  Belgium 32 -
  Portugal 32 -

Note: The above table does not include NATO navies which do not possess vertical launching systems, namely Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania and Slovenia.

Other

  Algeria
  Australia
  Brazil
  Chile
  People's Republic of China
Surface
  Egypt
  Finland
  India
Surface
Submarine
  Iran
  Indonesia
 
SYLVER cells of the Italian destroyer Caio Duilio
  Israel
  Japan
  Malaysia
  Morocco
  New Zealand
  • Anzac-class frigate – GWS.35 (20 cells)
  Oman
 
Soviet missile cruiser Frunze firing a missile from the Tor VLS
 
Top view of the Ticonderoga-class USS Lake Champlain with VLS visible fore and aft as the gray boxes near the bow and stern of the ship
  South Africa
  Russia
Surface
Submarine
  Singapore
  South Korea
Surface
Submarine
  Thailand

See also

References

  1. ^ Preview ofTable of contents (2016-07-08). "Naval Swiss Army Knife: MK 41 Vertical Missile Launch Systems (VLS)". Defenseindustrydaily.com. from the original on 2016-12-30. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  2. ^ "Shots of cold and hot launches of 052D destroyer unveiled". China-arms. 19 February 2020.
  3. ^ . defense post. 1 October 2021. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021.
  4. ^ Joe, Rick (8 June 2018). "All You Need to Know About China's New Stealth Destroyer". The Diplomat. from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Patent US7540227 – Air based vertical launch ballistic missile defense – Google Patents". 2003-05-06. from the original on 2016-12-30. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
  6. ^ Stöhs, Jeremy. "How High? The Future of European Naval Power and the High-End Challenge" (PDF). Centre for Military Studies. Djøf Publishing. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  7. ^ "Patrol ship for distant sea areas Project 22160E | Catalog Rosoboronexport".
  8. ^ "Project 11541 "Korsar"".
  9. ^ "ЦКБ МТ Рубин: Amur 950".
  10. ^ "Russia's newest submarines are 'on par with ours' and sailing closer to the US, top commanders say". Business Insider.
  11. ^ "SSBN Typhoon Class (Type 941)".
  12. ^ "Delta III Class Ballistic Missile Submarine | Military-Today.com".
  13. ^ "Explainer: Russia's Delta IV Nuclear Missile Submarines". 23 December 2020.
  14. ^ "SSBN Borei Class Nuclear-Powered Submarines".

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vertical launching systems.
  • Mk 41 VLS – Federation of American Scientists
  • MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) – GlobalSecurity.org
  • Mk-48 Vertical Launching System (VLS) – Seaforces-online Naval Information

March 12, 2023
vertical, launching, system, brazilian, space, agency, launcher, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, new. For the Brazilian Space Agency launcher see VLS 1 This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Vertical launching system news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message A vertical launching system VLS is an advanced system for holding and firing missiles on mobile naval platforms such as surface ships and submarines Each vertical launch system consists of a number of cells which can hold one or more missiles ready for firing Typically each cell can hold a number of different types of missiles allowing the ship flexibility to load the best set for any given mission Further when new missiles are developed they are typically fitted to the existing vertical launch systems of that nation allowing existing ships to use new types of missiles without expensive rework When the command is given the missile flies straight up far enough to clear the cell and the ship then turns on to the desired course The VLS cells on board USS San Jacinto In December 1959 the U S Navy commissioned the USS George Washington SSBN 598 as its first ballistic missile submarine making it the first VLS submarine in the world to use nuclear rather than diesel propulsion The Kara class cruiser Azov was the first Soviet surface ship to be fitted with a VLS The system in question contained 48 cells for 5V55RM missiles A Tomahawk missile canister being offloaded from a VLS aboard the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur A VLS allows surface combatants to have a greater number of weapons ready for firing at any given time compared to older launching systems such as the Mark 13 single arm and Mark 26 twin arm launchers which were fed from behind by a magazine below the main deck In addition to greater firepower VLS is much more damage tolerant and reliable than the previous systems and has a lower radar cross section RCS The U S Navy now relies exclusively on VLS for its guided missile destroyers and cruisers The most widespread vertical launch system in the world is the Mark 41 developed by the United States Navy More than 11 000 Mark 41 VLS missile cells have been delivered or are on order for use on 186 ships across 19 ship classes in 11 navies around the world This system currently serves with the US Navy as well as the Australian Danish Dutch German Japanese New Zealand Norwegian South Korean Spanish and Turkish navies while others like the Greek Navy preferred the similar Mark 48 system 1 The advanced Mark 57 vertical launch system is used on the Zumwalt class destroyer The older Mark 13 and Mark 26 systems remain in service on ships that were sold to other countries such as Taiwan and Poland When installed on an SSN nuclear powered attack submarine a VLS allows a greater number and variety of weapons to be deployed compared with using only torpedo tubes Contents 1 Launch type 1 1 Hot launch 1 2 Cold launch 1 3 Concentric canister launch 2 Other platforms 3 Systems in use by nations 3 1 NATO 3 2 Other 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksLaunch type Edit A RIM 156A missile launching from a VLS cell on USS Lake Erie in 2008 US Navy Mark 41 Tomahawk hot launch A vertical launch system can be either hot launch where the missile ignites in the cell or cold launch where the missile is expelled by gas produced by a gas generator which is not part of the missile itself and then the missile ignites Cold means relatively cold compared with rocket engine exhaust A hot launch system does not require an ejection mechanism but does require some way of disposing of the missile s exhaust and heat as it departs the cell If the missile ignites in a cell without an ejection mechanism the cell must withstand the tremendous heat generated without igniting missiles in adjacent cells Hot launch Edit An advantage of a hot launch system is that the missile propels itself out of the launching cell using its own engine which eliminates the need for a separate system to eject the missile from the launching tube This potentially makes a hot launch system relatively light small and economical to develop and produce particularly when designed around smaller missiles A potential disadvantage is that a malfunctioning missile could destroy the launch tube American surface ship VLSs have missile cells arranged in a grid with one lid per cell and are hot launch systems The engine ignites within the cell during the launch and so requires a way of venting rocket exhaust France Italy and Britain use a similar hot launching Sylver system in PAAMS Cold launch Edit The advantage of the cold launch system is in its safety should a missile engine malfunction during launch the cold launch system can eject the missile reducing or eliminating the threat For this reason Russian VLSs are often designed with a slant so that a malfunctioning missile will land in the water instead of on the ship s deck As missile size grows the benefits of ejection launching increase Above a certain size a missile booster cannot be safely ignited within the confines of a ship s hull Most modern ICBMs and SLBMs are cold launched Russia produces both grid systems and a revolver arrangement with more than one missile per lid for its cold launch system Russia also uses a cold launch system for some of its vertical launch missile systems e g the Tor missile system Concentric canister launch Edit Some warships of China s People s Liberation Army Navy use a concentric canister launch CCL system that can launch using both hot and cold methods in the cell module onboard the Type 052D destroyer and the Type 055 destroyer 2 The universal launch system is offered for export 3 Older Chinese ships use single launch system Type 052C destroyers for example use a cold launch system Type 054A frigates a hot launch system 4 Other platforms EditTransporter erector launchers are wheeled or tracked land vehicles for the launch of surface to air and surface to surface missiles In most systems the missiles are transported in a horizontal out of battery configuration in order to fire the vehicle must stop and the transport launch tube must be raised to the vertical before firing BAE Systems has filed patents relating to the use of Vertical Launch missiles from modified passenger aircraft 5 Systems in use by nations EditNATO Edit In 2021 the Centre for Military Studies published the total number of VLS cells in use with fourteen NATO navies The results are displayed below Vertical Launch System Cells of 14 NATO Navies in 2020 Centre for Military Studies 6 Country Ship classes and approx number of VLS cells Total Strike Length VLS cells for Sea Launched Cruise Missiles SLCM United States 67 90 96 Arleigh Burke class destroyer 22 122 Ticonderoga class cruiser 2 80 Zumwalt class destroyer 8900 8700 Arsenal of SLCM Not included are VLS and BFM on submarines Europe total 2328 688 United Kingdom 6 48 Type 45 destroyer 13 32 Type 23 frigate 704 France 2 48 Horizon class destroyer 6 32 Aquitaine class frigate 288 6 16 96 SLCM deployed on Aquitaine class Denmark 2 36 Absalon class support ship 3 56 Iver Huitfeldt class frigate 240 3 x 32 96 No SLCM Spain 5 48 Alvaro de Bazan class frigate 240 5 48 240 No SLCM Italy 2 48 Orizzonte class frigate 8 16 Carlo Bergamini class frigate 224 No SLCM Canada 12 16 Halifax class frigate 192 Netherlands 4 40 De Zeven Provincien class frigate 2 16 Karel Doorman class frigate 192 4 40 160 No SLCM Germany 4 16 Brandenburg class frigate 3 32 Sachsen class frigate 160 3 32 96 No SLCM Greece 4 16 Hydra class frigate 3 32 FDI HN 160 Turkey 4 x 16 Istanbul class 2 8 Barbaros class frigate 2 32 Salih Reis class 4 8 G class frigate 174 Norway 3 8 1 16 Fridtjof Nansen class frigate 40 Belgium 2 16 Karel Doorman class frigate 32 Portugal 2 16 Karel Doorman class frigate 32 Note The above table does not include NATO navies which do not possess vertical launching systems namely Albania Bulgaria Croatia Estonia Iceland Latvia Lithuania North Macedonia Poland Romania and Slovenia Other Edit AlgeriaEl Radii class frigates Umkhonto 32 cells AustraliaAnzac class frigate Mark 41 Mod 16 8 cells Hobart class destroyer Mark 41 48 cells Hunter class frigate Mark 41 32 cells BrazilTamandare class frigate GWS 35 12 cells ChileKarel Doorman class frigate Mark 48 Mod 1 16 cells Type 23 frigate GWS 26 32 cells Adelaide class frigate Mark 41 Mod 16 8 cells People s Republic of China SurfaceType 055 destroyer Concentric Canister Launch System 112 cells Type 052D destroyer Concentric Canister Launch System 64 cells Type 052C destroyer H AJK03 HHQ 9 48 cells Type 051C destroyer 48N6E 48 cells Type 051B destroyer H AJK16 HQ 16 or Yu 8 32 cells Sovremenny class destroyer H AJK16 HQ 16 or Yu 8 32 cells Type 054A frigate H AJK16 HQ 16 or Yu 8 32 cells EgyptTahya Misr FFG1001 SYLVER A43 16 cells FinlandHamina class missile boat Umkhonto 8 cells Hameenmaa class minelayer Umkhonto 8 cells India SurfaceINS Viraat Barak 1 16 cells INS Vikramaditya Barak 1 24 cells and Barak 8 Kolkata class destroyer Barak 8 Barak 1 32 cells and BrahMos 16 cells Delhi class destroyer Barak 1 32 cells Rajput class destroyer BrahMos 8 cells and Barak 1 Shivalik class frigate Club or BrahMos 8 cells and Barak 1 32 cells Talwar class frigate Club or BrahMos 8 cells Brahmaputra class frigate Barak 1 24 cells Godavari class frigate Barak 1 24 cells Kamorta class corvette Barak 1 16 cells SubmarineArihant class submarine K 4 or K 15 8 cells IranShahid Soleimani class corvette Mehrab 22 cells IndonesiaBung Tomo class corvette VL MICA 16 cells Martadinata class frigate VL MICA 12 cells Ahmad Yani class frigate Yakhont VLS 4 cells Ex Van Speijk class frigate SYLVER cells of the Italian destroyer Caio Duilio IsraelSa ar 5 class corvette Barak 1 2 x 32 cells JapanHyuga class helicopter destroyer Mark 41 16 cells Kongō class destroyer Mark 41 90 cells Atago class destroyer Mark 41 96 cells Maya class destroyer Mark 41 96 cells Murasame class destroyer Mark 41 16 cells Mark 48 16 cells Takanami class destroyer Mark 41 32 cells Akizuki class destroyer Mark 41 32 cells Asahi class destroyer Mark 41 32 cells Mogami class frigate Mark 41 16 cells Asuka Mark 41 8 cells MalaysiaLekiu class frigate GWS 26 16 cells MoroccoMohammed VI SYLVER A50 16 cells New ZealandAnzac class frigate GWS 35 20 cells OmanKhareef class corvette VL MICA 12 cells Soviet missile cruiser Frunze firing a missile from the Tor VLS Top view of the Ticonderoga class USS Lake Champlain with VLS visible fore and aft as the gray boxes near the bow and stern of the ship South AfricaValour class frigate Umkhonto 16 cells Russia SurfaceKuznetsov class aircraft carrier Granit 12 cells Kinzhal 192 cells Kirov class battlecruiser Granit 20 cells Fort Fort M 96 cells Kinzhal 128 cells Slava class cruiser Fort 64 cells Udaloy class destroyer Kinzhal 64 cells Neustrashimy class frigate Kinzhal 32 cells Admiral Grigorovich class frigate 3S14 for Kalibr or BrahMos 8 cells 3S90M for 9M317M 24 cells Admiral Gorshkov class frigate 3S14 for Kalibr or Oniks 16 cells Redut system for different type of missiles 32 cells Gepard class frigate 3S14 for Kalibr or Oniks 8 cells Steregushchy class corvette Redut 12 cells Gremyashchy class corvette Redut 2 x 8 cells 3S14 for Kalibr or Oniks 8 cells Buyan M class corvette 3S14 for Kalibr or Oniks 8 cells Karakurt class corvette 3S14 for Kalibr or Oniks 8 cells Project 22160E patrol ship 3S14 for Kalibr or Oniks 8 cells 7 Korsar escort ship 3S14 for Kalibr 8 cells 8 SubmarineAmur 950 3S14 for Kalibr or BrahMos 10 cells 9 Oscar class submarine Granit 24 cells RPK 2 Vyuga 28 cells Yasen M 3S14 for Kalibr 40 cells or Oniks 32 cells 10 Typhoon class submarine R 39 Rif 20 cells 11 Delta III class submarine R 29 Vysota 16 cells 12 Delta IV class submarine R 29RMU Sineva or R 29RM Shtil 16 cells 13 Borei class submarine RSM 56 Bulava 16 cells 14 SingaporeFormidable class frigate SYLVER 32 cells Victory class corvette Barak 1 2 x 8 cells South Korea SurfaceGwanggaeto the Great class destroyer KDX I Mark 48 16 cells Chungmugong Yi Sun shin class destroyer KDX II Mark 41 32 cells Korean Vertical Launching System K VLS 24 cells 32 cells Sejong the Great class destroyer KDX III Mark 41 80 cells K VLS 48 cells Nampo class minelayer K VLS 4 cells Cheon Wang Bong class LST K VLS 4 cells Daegu class frigate K VLS 16 cells SubmarineDosan Ahn Changho class submarine K VLS 10 cells ThailandNaresuan class frigate Mark 41 8 cells Bhumibol Adulyadej class frigate Mark 41 8 cells See also EditList of United States Navy Guided Missile Launching Systems XM501 Non Line of Sight Launch System An Experimental Small Land and Surface VLSReferences Edit Preview ofTable of contents 2016 07 08 Naval Swiss Army Knife MK 41 Vertical Missile Launch Systems VLS Defenseindustrydaily com Archived from the original on 2016 12 30 Retrieved 2016 12 29 Shots of cold and hot launches of 052D destroyer unveiled China arms 19 February 2020 China Reveals Universal Ship borne Vertical Missile Launch System defense post 1 October 2021 Archived from the original on 1 October 2021 Joe Rick 8 June 2018 All You Need to Know About China s New Stealth Destroyer The Diplomat Archived from the original on 13 June 2018 Retrieved 13 June 2018 Patent US7540227 Air based vertical launch ballistic missile defense Google Patents 2003 05 06 Archived from the original on 2016 12 30 Retrieved 2016 12 29 Stohs Jeremy How High The Future of European Naval Power and the High End Challenge PDF Centre for Military Studies Djof Publishing Retrieved 12 September 2021 Patrol ship for distant sea areas Project 22160E Catalog Rosoboronexport Project 11541 Korsar CKB MT Rubin Amur 950 Russia s newest submarines are on par with ours and sailing closer to the US top commanders say Business Insider SSBN Typhoon Class Type 941 Delta III Class Ballistic Missile Submarine Military Today com Explainer Russia s Delta IV Nuclear Missile Submarines 23 December 2020 SSBN Borei Class Nuclear Powered Submarines External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vertical launching systems Mk 41 VLS Federation of American Scientists MK 41 Vertical Launching System VLS GlobalSecurity org Mk 48 Vertical Launching System VLS Seaforces online Naval Information Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Vertical launching system amp oldid 1141728004, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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