MK 41 Launcher for F126 Frigates

Damen Naval has contracted Lockheed Martin for the MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) in the scope of the German Navy’s F126 project, Damen writes in a press release. The direct commercial sale contract was signed on 31 January 2021. The Lockheed Martin scope of supply and services includes the production and delivery of two 8-cell strike length MK 41 VLS EVOLVED SEA SPARROW Missile Block 2 capable modules for each of the four ships plus associated engineering efforts and ancillary hardware.

Both the German and Royal Netherlands Navy operate this system. Damen is familiar with the MK 41 VLS system operating on the Netherlands’ Air Defence and Command Frigates (ADCF) and various other surface combatant designs on the export market. Moreover, the system has a rich 25+ year history with the German Navy, including projects such as the F123 BRANDENBURG class and F124 SACHSEN class frigates

JH