The Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin [LMT] a $27 million contract to provide the parts for 22 Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine missiles with advancement that included extended range and guidance, the company said recently.
The VLA missiles are deployed on Navy cruisers and destroyers and are launched from the MK41 vertical launching system to deploy a torpedo in an area believed to be the location of an enemy sub, allowing the ships to stay at a safer distance.
“Working with our U.S. Navy customer and using our collective expertise, we continue advancing the reliability, range and effectiveness of the VLA missile,” said Colleen Arthur, the program director for integrated defense technologies at Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems & Sensors unit.
Lockheed Martin said the VLA can be fired without maneuvering the ship and provides twice the range of the prior anti-submarine rocket system.