This Missile Launcher Can Give Nearly Any Ship The Same Weaponry As A U.S. Navy Destroyer

The Mk 41 is an amazing launch system, and it comes in different sizes and configurations, but it requires a deep void in the ship to accommodate it. Lockheed Martin

Warzone/The Drive: This Bolt-On Launcher Can Give Nearly Any Ship The Same Weaponry As A U.S. Navy Destroyer

The launcher could allow everything from amphibious assault ships to logistics ships to carry the Navy's most potent surface-launched missiles.

The folks over at BAE Systems have come up with a fairly novel way to give any ship with some deck space Mark 41 vertical launch system (VLS)-like capability without having to make huge alterations to the guts of the ship, which in many cases wouldn't even be possible. Dubbed aptly the Adaptive Deck Launcher (ADL), the system provides four cells positioned at an angle that can accommodate the same all-up missile canisters used by standard Mark 41 vertical launch systems like those found on the U.S. Navy's cruisers and destroyers, as well as many allied surface combatants.

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WNU editor: More evidence on the growing role and importance of missiles in any future major war.