The Guided Missile Launching System (GMLS) is a device for launching guided missiles, and is found on many U.S. Navy ships. This list includes all launchers that are part of the designation series. Included on this list are missile launchers that have not been adopted for service in the United States Navy.
Picture | Designation | Description |
---|---|---|
Mk 1 | Twin Arm Terrier Launcher on USS Mississippi for initial Terrier testing. | |
Mk 4 | Early Twin-arm launcher for the RIM-2 Terrier. Fit only to the Boston-class guided missile cruisers. Vertically loading design distinguished this launcher from the horizontally loading Mk 9 and Mk 10. | |
Mk 5 | Twin-arm launcher for the Terrier, Tartar and Standard missiles. Terrier Extended Range missiles were fired from its right arm rail, while Tartar Medium Range missiles were launched from its left arm. Used at USS Desert Ship Navy surface-to-air weapons testing facility at White Sands Missile Range. | |
Mk 7 | Twin-arm launcher for the RIM-8 Talos missile. Used on Galveston-class cruisers. Differed from Mk 12 in that all missiles were stored above main deck. | |
Mk 8 | Twin-arm launcher for the RIM-2 Terrier missile. Used on USS Gyatt. | |
Mk 9 | Twin-arm launcher for the RIM-2 Terrier missile. Used on Providence-class cruisers. Differed from Mk 10 in that all missiles were stored above main deck. | |
Mk 10 | Twin-arm launcher for the RIM-2 Terrier or RIM-67 Standard missile. Employed below main deck magazines. Used on Belknap-class cruisers and other Terrier ships. Some launchers are modified to store and launch the RUR-5 ASROC. [1] | |
Mk 11 | Twin-arm launcher for RIM-24 Tartar or RIM-66 Standard missile. Used on Albany-class cruisers and the first thirteen Charles F. Adams-class destroyers. The New Threat Upgrade added the ability to launch RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles. | |
Mk 12 | Twin-arm launcher for the RIM-8 Talos missile. Employed below main deck magazines. Deployed on Albany-class cruisers and USS Long Beach. | |
Mk 13 | A Single-arm rail-launch system. Initial mods fired RIM-24 Tartar missiles, while later mods supported RIM-66 Standard and RGM-84 Harpoon missiles (40 missiles total). Used on Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates and California-class cruisers and other Tartar ships. [1] | |
Mk 14 | A Mk 13 launcher for the RIM-55 Typhon MR. Canceled. | |
Mk 16 | The 8-round ASROC "Pepper Box" launcher for the RUR-5 ASROC. Used on many USN and other vessels. Some vessels such as the last three Brooke-class frigates, all Knox-class frigates, California-class cruisers and the Spruance-class destroyers had reloading systems and up to 16 reloads. Other classes of vessel had no reloads. [2] | |
Similar to Mk 13 launcher. | Mk 22 | A single-arm rail-launch system similar to the Mk 13, but with a smaller magazine (16 missiles total). It supports RIM-24 Tartar, RIM-66 Standard MR and RGM-84 Harpoon missiles, and is currently deployed on the US-designed Spanish Navy Baleares-class frigates. [3] Formerly used on Brooke-class frigates. |
Mk 25 | The box launcher for Basic Point Defense Missile system (BPDMS) carrying eight RIM-7 Sea Sparrow with mid-fins not folded. Used on Knox-class frigates and others. Replaced by Mk 29. | |
Mk 26 | A twin-arm rail-launch system which supports RIM-66 Standard, RUR-5 ASROC, and other missile types. It was used on U.S. Navy ships including early Ticonderoga-class cruisers, Virginia-class cruisers and Kidd-class destroyers. [3] | |
Mk 29 | The 8-cell launcher, featured on Nimitz-class aircraft carriers and other NATO Sea Sparrow Missile (NSSM)-carrying ships. It fires RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles, with mid-fins folded making it smaller than the Mk 25 launchers. [3] Launchers are being retrofitted to launch the RIM-162D Evolved Sea Sparrow. | |
Mk 32 | Single round launcher for the standard missile. Used only by Taiwan, currently fit to the Chi Yang-class frigates. [3] | |
Mk 41 | The vertical launch system first fitted to USS Bunker Hill. These launchers are highly versatile and can launch a wide range of USN ordnance. Currently missiles that are operational from this launcher type are the RIM-66M Standard, RIM-156A Standard, RIM-161 Standard 3, RUM-139 VL ASROC, RIM-7 VL Sea Sparrow, RIM-162A/B Evolved Sea Sparrow, and the RIM-174A Standard ERAM. [4] | |
Mk 45 | Vertical launcher for the UGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile on USN submarines. [5] | |
Mk 48 | The Mk 48 GMLS is a vertical launch system for RIM-7 VL Sea Sparrow and the RIM-162C Evolved Sea Sparrow missile. This launcher is used primarily by the Royal Canadian Navy and Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, but has not been adopted by the USN. [6] | |
Mk 49 | The 21-round launcher for the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile. [6] | |
Mk 53 | Nulka anti-missile decoy launcher. [6] | |
Mk 56 | The Mk 56 GMLS is a vertical launch system for the RIM-162C Evolved Sea Sparrow missile. This launcher is primarily used by the Royal Danish Navy and has not been adopted by the USN | |
Mk 57 | Peripheral Vertical Launching System, developed for the DDG-1000 destroyer. [7] | |
MK 70 Mod 1 Payload Delivery System (PDS) | Mk 41 derivative, 40 foot ISO-container with 4 strike length VLS cells, developed for the Navy (LCS) and Army (Typhon missile launcher). Compatible with every missile currently integrated into the MK.41 VLS, [8] plus Patriot PAC-3 [9] | |
Mk 87 | The RGM-184 NSM missile launch system. [10] | |
Mk 141 | The RGM-84 Harpoon missile tube launcher. | |
Mk 143 | The "Armored Box Launcher" for the BGM-109A/B/C Tomahawk cruise missiles. |
The RUR-5 ASROC is an all-weather, all sea-conditions anti-submarine missile system. Developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s, it was deployed in the 1960s, updated in the 1990s, and eventually installed on over 200 USN surface ships, specifically cruisers, destroyers, and frigates. The ASROC has been deployed on scores of warships of many other navies, including Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, Greece, Pakistan and others.
The Oliver Hazard Perry class is a class of guided-missile frigates named after U.S. Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, a commander noted for his role in the Battle of Lake Erie. Also known as the Perry or FFG-7 class, the warships were designed in the United States in the mid-1970s as general-purpose escort vessels inexpensive enough to be bought in large numbers to replace World War II-era destroyers and complement 1960s-era Knox-class frigates.
The Arleigh Burke class of guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) is a United States Navy class of destroyer centered around the Aegis Combat System and the SPY-1D multi-function passive electronically scanned array radar. The class is named for Admiral Arleigh Burke, an American destroyer officer in World War II and later Chief of Naval Operations. With an overall length of 505 to 509.5 feet, displacement ranging from 8,300 to 9,700 tons, and weaponry including over 90 missiles, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are larger and more heavily armed than many previous classes of guided-missile cruisers.
The 46 Knox-class frigates were the largest, last, and most numerous of the US Navy's second-generation anti-submarine warfare (ASW) escorts. Originally laid down as ocean escorts, they were all redesignated as frigates on 30 June 1975, in the 1975 ship reclassification plan and their hull designation changed from 'DE' to 'FF'. The Knox class was the Navy's last destroyer-type design with a steam turbine powerplant.
The RIM-7 Sea Sparrow is a U.S. ship-borne short-range anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapon system, primarily intended for defense against anti-ship missiles. The system was developed in the early 1960s from the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile as a lightweight "point-defense" weapon that could be retrofitted to existing ships as quickly as possible, often in place of existing gun-based anti-aircraft weapons. In this incarnation, it was a very simple system guided by a manually aimed radar illuminator.
The Ticonderoga class of guided-missile cruisers is a class of warships of the United States Navy, first ordered and authorized in the 1978 fiscal year. It was originally planned as a class of destroyers. However, the increased combat capability offered by the Aegis Combat System and the passive phased array AN/SPY-1 radar, together with the capability of operating as a flagship, were used to justify the change of the classification from DDG to CG shortly before the keels were laid down for Ticonderoga and Yorktown.
The Rajput-class guided-missile destroyers built for the Indian Navy are modified versions of Soviet Kashin-class destroyers. They are also known as Kashin-II class. The ships were built in the former Soviet Union after considerable Indian design modifications to the Kashin design. These included the replacement of the helicopter pad in the original design with a flight elevator, as well as major changes to the electronics and combat systems. Five units were built for export to India in the 1980s. All units are currently attached to the Eastern Naval Command.
The Mark 13 guided missile launching system (GMLS) is a single-arm missile launcher designed for use on frigates and other military vessels. Because of its distinctive single-armed design, the Mark 13 is often referred to as the "one-armed bandit".
The AUM-N-2 Petrel, also known as Kingfisher C and AUM-2, was an air-to-surface missile produced as part of Project Kingfisher for the United States Navy. Intended to use against enemy surface ships and surfaced submarines giving aircraft the ability to deliver aerial torpedoes from outside the range of defensive armament, it saw brief operational service in the late 1950s. The project was never considered a high priority by the Navy however, as it was useless against submerged submarines, which were considered the greatest potential threat.
The RUR-4 "Weapon Alpha" was an American naval ahead-throwing anti-submarine rocket launcher. It was designed between 1946 and 1949, and was installed on warships from 1951 to 1969. Unlike depth charges, it was designed to attack enemy submarines without requiring the attacking ship to be located directly above the submarine being attacked.
The RIM-66 Standard MR (SM-1MR/SM-2MR) is a medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM), with a secondary role as an anti-ship missile, developed for the United States Navy (USN). A member of the Standard Missile family of weapons, the SM-1 was developed as a replacement for the RIM-2 Terrier and RIM-24 Tartar that were deployed in the 1950s on a variety of USN ships. The RIM-67 Standard (SM-1ER/SM-2ER) is an extended range version of this missile with a solid rocket booster stage.
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The RGM-59 Taurus was an American project, conducted by the United States Navy, that was intended to develop a surface-to-surface missile for use as a fire support weapon during amphibious landings, replacing heavy-caliber naval guns. Developed during the early 1960s, the project was cancelled before any hardware development was undertaken.
Norman Friedman is an American author, analyst, strategist, and historian. He has written over 30 books and numerous articles on naval and other military matters, has worked for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and has appeared on television programs including PBS, the Discovery Channel, C-SPAN, and National Geographic.
The YJ-8 is a Chinese surface-launched subsonic anti-ship cruise missile. It is manufactured by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) Third Academy.
The AAM-N-5 Meteor was an early American air-to-air missile, developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Bell Aircraft for the United States Navy. Initially, both air-launched and ship-launched versions were considered. Versions designed for launch from carrier-based aircraft proceeded to the flight testing stage before the project was cancelled.
The Mark 26 Guided Missile Launching System (GMLS) was a United States Navy fully automated system that stows, handles, and launches a variety of missiles. The system supported RIM-66 Standard, RUR-5 ASROC, and potentially other weapons. The Mark 26 had the shortest reaction time and the fastest firing rate of any comparable dual arm shipboard launching system at the time. With only one man at the control console, a weapon can be selected, hoisted to the guide arm, and launched. Several mods provided magazine capabilities of 24 to 64 missiles.
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