Engineering:Vertical launching system

Short description: Modern system for holding and firing missiles on naval vessels

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

An example of modern VLS cells, these being the Mk. 41, on board

File:Sea Wolf Missile Firing from HMS Richmond.ogv

In December 1959, the U.S. Navy commissioned as its first ballistic missile submarine, making it the first VLS-equipped submarine in the world to use nuclear rather than diesel propulsion

The was the first surface ship to be fitted with a true, 90º VLS. The system in question contained four revolving drums of 48 tubes for 5V55RM missiles

A Tomahawk missile canister being offloaded from a VLS aboard the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

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 onto the desired course.

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 VLS 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, Norwegian, South Korean, Spanish, and Turkish navies, while others like the Greek Navy preferred the similar Mark 48 system.

The advanced Mark 57 VLS is used on the . 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 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

File:Sejong the Great-class destroyer Batch-I.webm

A RIM-156A missile launching from a VLS cell on 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: if a missile engine malfunctions 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 intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles 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.

The United Kingdom's Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM) family of missiles utilises a similar cold-launching system, referred to as "soft-vertical-launch", and actively markets the advantages of the system. Soft-launch provides the missile with a reduce interception rate allowing for shorter ranged engagements, reduces the infrared homing signature of the ship and the obscurant of visibility by rendering the ship in efflux for several minutes; and most notably, the lack of hot efflux and reduced stress on the ship's structure allows for a much greater choice of launch systems, such as the lighter "Mushroom Farm" launcher whilst also still enabling installation into the heavier Mark 41 in a quad-pack or dual-packed configuration (two or four missiles per cell) for a costly, but more space efficient option.

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. The universal launch system is offered for export.

Older Chinese ships use single launch system: Type 052C destroyers use a cold launch system, while Type 054A frigates use a hot launch system.

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.

Systems in use by states

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)

Country	Ship classes and approx. number of VLS cells	Total	Strike length VLS cells for sea-launched cruise missiles (SLCM)
United States	74 × 90/96 9 × 122 2 × 80	8,158	8,700+ arsenal of SLCM. VLS and BFM on submarines not included.
Europe total	-	2,392	688
United Kingdom	6 × 48 Type 45 destroyer 13 × 32 Type 23 frigate	704	-
France	2 × 48 6 × 32 Aquitaine-class frigate	288	6 × 16 = 96 SLCM deployed on Aquitaine class
Denmark	2 × 36 3 × 56	240	3 x 32 = 96 / No SLCM
Spain	5 × 48	240	5 × 48 = 240 / No SLCM
Italy	2 × 48 8 × 16 Carlo Bergamini-class frigate	224	No SLCM
Canada	12 × 16	192	-
Netherlands	4 × 40 2 × 16	192	4 × 40 = 160 / No SLCM
Germany	4 × 16 3 × 32	160	3 × 32 = 96 / No SLCM
Turkey	2 × 8 2 × 32 Salih Reis-class frigate 4 × 8	122	-
Greece	4 × 16	64	-
Norway	3 × 8, 1 × 16	40	-
Belgium	2 × 16	32	-
Portugal	2 × 16	32	-

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

Other

Algeria

• El Radii-class frigates – Umkhonto (32 cells)

Australia

• – Mark 41 Mod 16 (8 cells)
• – Mark 41 (48 cells)
• – Mark 41 (32 cells)

Brazil

• – GWS-35 (12 cells)

Chile

• – Mark 48 Mod 1 (16 cells)
• Type 23 frigate – GWS-35 (32 cells)
• – Mark 41 Mod 16 (8 cells)

China

Surface

As of 2025, PLAN has an arsenal of 4192+ ship-based VLS. VLS on submarines not included.

• Type 055 destroyer – GJB 5860-2006 Concentric Canister Launch System (8 × 112 cells = 896 cells)
• Type 052D destroyer – GJB 5860-2006 Concentric Canister Launch System (25 × 64 cells = 1600 cells)
• Type 052C destroyer – H/AJK03 HHQ-9 (6 × 48 cells = 288 cells)
• Type 051C destroyer – 48N6E (2 × 48 cells = 96 cells)
• Type 051B destroyer – H/AJK16 HQ-16 or Yu-8 (1 × 32 cells = 32 cells)
• – H/AJK16 HQ-16 or Yu-8 (2 × 32 cells = 64 cells)
• Type 054B frigate – (2 × 32 cells = 64 cells)
• Type 054A frigate – H/AJK16 HQ-16 or Yu-8 (36 × 32 cells = 1152 cells)

Egypt

• Tahya Misr – SYLVER A43 (16 cells)

Finland

• – Umkhonto (8 cells)
• – Umkhonto (8 cells)

India

Shipborne launch of VL-SRSAM

Surface

• – Barak 8 (64 cells)
• – Barak 1 and Barak 8 (48 cells)
• - Barak 8 (32 cells) and BrahMos (16 cells)
• – Barak 8 (32 cells) and BrahMos (48 cells)
• – Barak 1 (32 cells)
• – BrahMos (8 cells) and VL-SRSAM
• – Club or BrahMos (8 cells) and Barak 1 (32 cells)
• – Club or BrahMos (8 cells)
• – Barak 1 (24 cells)
• – Barak 1 (16 cells)

Submarine

• – K-4 or K-15 (8 cells)

Iran

• – SD-3 or Navvab and Q-474 CMs (22 cells)
• Zulfighar-class fast attack craft – Navvab (4 cells)

Indonesia

• – VL MICA (16 cells)
• – VL MICA (12 cells)
• – Yakhont VLS (4 cells) Ex-

SYLVER cells of the Italian destroyer

Israel

• – – Barak 1 Barak 8 (2 x 32 cells)

Japan

• – Mark 41 (16 cells)
• – Mark 41 (90 cells)
• – Mark 41 (96 cells)
• – Mark 41 (96 cells)
• – Mark 41 (16 cells) + Mark 48 (16 cells)
• – Mark 41 (32 cells)
• – Mark 41 (32 cells)
• – Mark 41 (32 cells)
• - Mark 41 (16 cells)
• - Mark 41 (8 cells)

Malaysia

• - GWS-26 (16 cells)

Morocco

• Mohammed VI – SYLVER A50 (16 cells)

New Zealand

• Anzac-class frigate – GWS-35 (20 cells)

Oman

• – VL MICA (12 cells)

Soviet missile cruiser Frunze firing a missile from the Tor VLS

Top view of the with VLS visible fore and aft as the gray boxes near the bow and stern of the ship

Pakistan

• – HQ16 (32 cells)
• – GWS-35 (12 cells)

Philippines

• - MICA (16 cells)

Russia

Surface

• – Granit (12 cells) + Kinzhal (192 cells)
• – Granit (20 cells) + Fort/Fort-M (96 cells) + Kinzhal (128 cells)
• – Fort (64 cells)
• – Kinzhal (64 cells)
• – Kinzhal (32 cells)
• – 3S14 for Kalibr or BrahMos (8 cells) + 3S90M for 9M317M (24 cells)
• – 3S14 for Kalibr or Oniks (16 cells) + Redut system for different type of missiles (32 cells)
• – 3S14 for Kalibr or Oniks (8 cells)
• – Redut (12 cells)
• – Redut (2 x 8 cells) + 3S14 for Kalibr or Oniks ( 8 cells)
• Buyan-M-class corvette – 3S14 for Kalibr or Oniks (8 cells)
• – 3S14 for Kalibr or Oniks (8 cells)
• Project 22160E patrol ship – 3S14 for Kalibr or Oniks (8 cells)
• Korsar-class escort ship – 3S14 for Kalibr (8 cells)

Submarine

• Amur 950-class submarine – 3S14 for Kalibr or BrahMos (10 cells)
• – Granit (24 cells) + RPK-2 Vyuga (28 cells)
• Yasen-M-class submarine – 3S14 for Kalibr (40 cells) or Oniks (32 cells)
• – R-39 Rif (20 cells)
• – R-29 Vysota (16 cells)
• Delta IV-class submarine – R-29RMU Sineva or R-29RM Shtil (16 cells)
• – RSM-56 Bulava (16 cells)

South Africa

• – Umkhonto (16 cells)

South Korea

8-cell KVLS modules on board Sejong the Great-class destroyer

Surface

• (KDX-I) – Mark 48 (16 cells)
• (KDX-II) – Mark 41 (32 cells) + Korean Vertical Launching System (K-VLS) (24 cells / 32 cells)
• (KDX-III) – Mark 41 (80 cells) + K-VLS (48 cells)
• – K-VLS (4 cells)
• – K-VLS (4 cells)
• – K-VLS (16 cells)

Submarine

• – K-VLS (10 cells)

Singapore

• – SYLVER (32 cells)
• – Barak 1 (2 x 8 cells)
• – VL MICA-M (12 cells)

Thailand

• – Mark 41 (8 cells)
• – Mark 41 (8 cells)

See also

• List of United States Navy Guided Missile Launching Systems
• XM501 Non-Line-of-Sight Launch System, an experimental small land and surface VLS

External links

• 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