The US Navy tested the launch of an anti-aircraft missile from a removable module of a littoral ship

Littoral ships were to become one of the main forces of the American fleet due to its modularity, which presupposed, depending on the task at hand, the installation of containers with different types of weapons - anti-aircraft defense, anti-aircraft defense, air defense. Despite the program being launched back in 2002, modular combat systems are still being tested. In many ways, the technical inconsistency of this concept became the reason for the massive write-off of littoral pennants, despite their short service life.

According to the US Navy, on October 24, the SM-6 anti-aircraft missile was successfully launched from a Lockheed Martin Mk 70 container installation installed on board the USS Savannah (LCS-26):

The exercise demonstrated the modularity and lethality of littoral combat ships and the ability to successfully integrate a containerized weapon system to engage a target.

As noted in USNI News, the MK 70 is one of four types of experimental launchers created on the basis of the MK 41 VPU. Moreover, the MK 70, in addition to the SM-6, can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles designed to strike ground targets. On board the USS Savannah MK 70 was apparently used in conjunction with the Q-53 radar.

The Russian Navy has a similar type of “modular” ship in service - Project 22160, which, like the American littoral pennants, is far from technological maturity, judging by the available information.

Comments

[Vladimir_2U]

The Amers conducted a full-scale experiment, albeit not a particularly successful one, their means allow it, but our naval wide stripes were simply being a fool, there’s no other way to put it.

[uav80]

Here is a Project 22160 patrol ship with a Tor-M2 air defense system module, but now it is more important for it to have a helicopter on board than enhanced air defense...

[BorzRio]

And we... And we... And we are hiding the fleet in distant bases from Ukrainian missiles. We can.

[voyaka uh]

The container was placed directly on the helicopter deck.
There is no other place.
Not a very good solution.

[Boniface]

and why these tests, if in February 2020 it became known that four LCS ships, previously transferred to the number of test ships, would be withdrawn from the fleet. The main reason for write-off is frequent breakdowns. In particular, problems with engines???

[Pavel_Sveshnikov]

Great idea using containers. Ours, as I heard, often use them on railway platforms. The advantage of such systems is their stealth, since from space they cannot be distinguished from an ordinary commercial container. And you don't need any inflatable imitation equipment. Forced the soldiers to run around these containers - and the job was done. The enemy thinks they contain missile launchers.

[Aleksandr_35]

Comrades are walking the right path