The canisters — used for storing, transporting, and firing a range of offensive and defensive missiles from the decks of Navy vessels — are to be delivered to Mk 13, Mk 14, Mk 25, Mk 29 and other Navy hardware.

The contract is also expected to support purchases from the governments of Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, and Turkey under a foreign military sales program.

The VLS canisters are designed to provide identification and firing support to multiple missile types, including the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM), Standard Missile-2, Standard Missile-3, Standard Missile-6, the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile and the vertical launch anti-submarine rocket known as ASROC.   

“The VLS is a highly-survivable and versatile system and our canisters play a key role in equipping the Navy with this world-class capability,” Brent Butcher, vice president of the weapon systems product line at BAE Systems, said.  

“BAE Systems has partnered with the Navy and its allies for more than 30 years to provide them with the most flexible and reliable weapon systems to execute a variety of missions effectively, and we look forward to continuing that commitment with this VLS technology.”

 [Related: BAE Systems to begin electronic warfare integration for F-15s]

Charbel Kadib

News Editor – Defence and Security, Momentum Media

Prior to joining the defence and aerospace team in 2020, Charbel was news editor of The Adviser and Mortgage Business, where he covered developments in the banking and financial services sector for three years. Charbel has a keen interest in geopolitics and international relations, graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in politics and journalism. Charbel has also completed internships with The Australian Department of Communications and the Arts and public relations agency Fifty Acres.