Answering the call for increased capacity and improved capability against agile targets, Lockheed Martin proposes a PAC-3 MSE missile in a multi-pack with G-VLS.
Vice President for Strategy and Naval Systems Tom Cook told Naval News that Lockheed Martin is working on multi-packing the PAC-3 MSE air defence missile inside the upcoming G-VLS. G-VLS will be a 34-inch alternative VLS compared to the 21-inch Mk41 currently used onboard USN destroyers and cruisers. Thanks to the larger diameter, G-VLS will have the capacity to hold missiles like SM-2, SM-6, and PAC-3 MSE in multiple packages, whereas each Mk41 cell can hold only one. G-VLS was first unveiled alongside the conceptual design for the DDG-X destroyer.
PAC-3 MSE’s integration with USN ships is being sought after due to the missile’s high agility and altitude envelope thanks to the dual-pulse rocket engine and gas-dynamic thruster system. This opens a big gap in said areas compared to Standard Missile types.
The missile was recently test-fired from Mk70 PDS, a containerised modification of the Mk41 VLS with integration into the AEGIS combat system.
