51.13 (-0.18) - Integrated Defense Systems
- Leadership Team
- Business Areas
- Raytheon Australia
- Global Integrated Sensors
- Integrated Air & Missile Defense
- Seapower Capability Systems
- Naval Radars
- Integrated Ship Systems
- Torpedoes
- Undersea Sensors
- Products & Services
- Intelligence and Information Systems
- Missile Systems
- Network Centric Systems
- Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC
- Space and Airborne Systems
- Global Presence
- Other Businesses
MK 57 Vertical Launching System
The MK 57 Vertical Launching System (VLS) is a versatile, open architecture solution that delivers significant warfighting and lifecycle advantages, making this launcher an ideal candidate for use in a wide variety of maritime and shore-based installations. The first shipboard deployment of the MK 57 VLS is planned for Zumwalt, the U.S. Navy’s next generation multi-mission destroyer.
Open Architecture Solution
Among the first applications to comply with the Navy’s Open Architecture (OA) concepts, the MK 57 launcher exploits the common hardware and software architecture implemented in the Total Ship Computing Environment (TSCE), initially developed for Zumwalt. This delivers a significant opportunity to lower the costs of introducing new weapons. For example, the combination of open architecture and extensive modularity of the MK 57 VLS enables integration of new and existing missile systems without requiring complex and costly modifications to the launcher control software or the launcher hardware. This approach dramatically reduces integration costs associated with new missile control and interface software in several ways:
- Reduces the effort required to add new weapons
- Eliminates the cost of removing weapon-specific technologies from the launcher
- Minimizes the need for regression testing associated with modifications
Increased Capacity to Support Larger and Heavier Missiles
The MK 57 VLS is designed not only to support existing VLS encanistered missiles but also provides for growth in missile volume and weight. The MK 57 VLS is designed to accommodate both current and future missile technologies without major launcher modifications. It is flexible enough to handle lighter missiles, such as the Evolved Seasparrow, as well as the larger, heavier missiles required for ballistic missile defense.
