According to information published by U.S. Department of Defence on March 31, 2021, BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., Minneapolis, Minnesota, is awarded a $76,875,610 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract N00024-20-C-5380 to exercise options to procure MK 41 Vertical Launching System canisters and ancillary hardware.
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MK 41 Vertical Launching System (Picture source: US Navy)
This contract combines purchases for the U.S. government (50%); and the governments of the Republic of Korea, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Australia, and Turkey (50% combined) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
Work will be performed in Aberdeen, South Dakota (90%); and Minneapolis, Minnesota (10%), and is expected to be completed by February 2024. Fiscal 2021 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $17,360,264 (23%); FMS Republic of Korea funds in the amount of $12,027,708 (16%); fiscal 2021 Defense-Wide Procurement funds in the amount of $11,499,500 (15%); fiscal 2020 Defense-Wide Procurement funds in the amount of $9,199,600 (12%); FMS Japan funds in the amount of $9,199,600 (12%); FMS Netherlands funds in the amount of $7,069,368 (9%); FMS Norway funds in the amount of $4,712,912 (6%); FMS Spain funds in the amount of $2,863,740 (4%); FMS Australia funds in the amount of $1,764,690 (2%); and FMS Turkey funds in the amount of $1,178,228 (1%) will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
The Mk 41 Vertical Launching System / VLS is a modular, below deck, canister missile launching system that was originally designed for the Navy’s Aegis-equipped guided missile cruisers to provide air threat protection for naval battle groups. The Mk 41 VLS is a multi-missile, multi-mission launcher, capable of launching SM-2, SM-3, SM-6, ESSM, Tomahawk, and Vertical Launch ASROC missiles.
MK 41 is built to store and launch ballistic and long-range strike weapons such as the Tomahawk missile, the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile system and the Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket.
