The Dutch shipyard Damen Naval has commissioned Lockheed Martin to supply the MK 41 VLS launch system for the F126 frigates, as the company writes in a press release. Lockheed Martin will thus become a supplier for the German Navy's new frigates.
According to Damen, the order includes the manufacture and delivery of two eight-cell MK-41 VLS vertical launch systems (VLS stands for Vertical Launch System) for each of the four ships, including customization services and accessories.
MK 41 is optimized for firing the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) Block 2 missile system. Both the German and Royal Netherlands Navies are already using this system. Damen has experience with the MK 41 VLS through his work on the Dutch Air Defense and Command Frigate (ADCF) and various other naval export vessels. The system has been in use by the German Navy for more than 25 years, including on the Brandenburg-class F123 and Sachsen-class F124 frigates.
The Mark 41 Vertical Launch System is the primary launch system for the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile. The Mk 41 is used aboard destroyers and frigates, primarily by the United States and allied nations. The ESSM is quadruple packed in a Mk-41 cell, allowing for a significantly higher missile load than the Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) ship-to-air missile. The MK 41 VLS is designed to simultaneously use ship-to-air, ship-to-ship, ship-to-land and anti-submarine warfare (see graphic). To date, the MK-41 VLS launcher with over 14,000 cells has been deployed on more than 150 ships and has completed more than 4,500 operational and test launches. Lockheed Martin reports operational availability of more than 99 percent.
The ESSM weapon system is not marketed directly by RAMSYS in Germany. As a management company, RAMSYS manages the German industrial shares in the multinational ESSM program and in this context concludes contracts with Raytheon Missile & Defense (RMD) within the framework of German value creation and corresponding subcontracts with the RAMSYS partners producing for ESSM. The shareholders of RAMSYS are 50% each MBDA Deutschland GmbH and Diehl Defense GmbH & Co. KG (without abbreviation BGT). RAMSYS leads the German industrial share (50%) in the RAM program. Together with US partner RMD, RAMSYS is responsible for development, production, system improvements, logistics and global marketing of the RAM weapon system.
Damen Naval was selected as a supplier in 2020 after a multi-year European tender process to build the initial four Class 126 frigates together with Blohm+Voss and Thales. The first ship is scheduled to be delivered to the German Navy in 2028. The ships are built in Germany at shipyards in Kiel, Hamburg and Wolgast.
Editorial staff / hum
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