The Polish Armaments Agency (PGZ) has signed a contract with the US company Lockheed Martin for the delivery of twelve Mk 41 Vertical Launching Systems (VLS) in the Baseline VII Strike Length Launcher version for the requirements of three Miecznik-class missile frigates. Each ship will thus receive four launchers with eight lines each. Each row can in turn carry four CAMM missiles, meaning that a frigate can carry a maximum of 128 missiles at any one time.
The Mk 41 vertical launch systems are the most widely used ship-based launchers in NATO. They have been combined with various types of missiles, including the RIM-162 ESSM Block 1 anti-aircraft missiles, RIM-174 SM-6 ERAM, RIM-66 SM-2 Block IIIA/B family, RGM-109 Tomahawk missiles, RIM-161 SM-3 ballistic missiles, AGM-158C LRASM anti-ship missiles and RUM-139 VL-ASROC anti-submarine missiles, providing a wide range of ammunition depending on the threat situation. In future, the launcher will also be able to launch the PAC-3 MSE (Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement) interceptor missiles, which are used in the Patriot MIM-104 system. https://militaeraktuell.at/general-hokanson-partnerschaft-mit-bundesheer-waechst/ Poland already has Mk 41 VLS missile launchers. However, these are not deployed on ships, but are part of the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System (AAMDS) at the Naval Support Facility Redzikowo near Słupsk, which will be formally activated in July. They are housed in three buildings and are intended for 24 interceptor missiles, the RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 Block IIA.
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