Lockheed Martin’s Extensible Launching System (ExLS)

Gestart door Ace1, 02/04/2016 | 13:03 uur

Ace1

Teleurstellend is dat in de Extensible Launching System (ExLS) geen ESSM in kan dit in tegenstelling tot de Single Cell Launcher (SCL)

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/ms2/documents/launchers/Single_Cell_Launcher_brochure.pdf


Ace1

De brochure van de  Extensible Launching System (ExLS)

De Missiles die in de Extensible Launching System (ExLS) kunnen.

Nulka Countermeasure, NLOS-LS ( is geannuleerd) RAM BlokII en MBDA Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM)


http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/ms2/documents/launchers/ExLS%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf


Ace1

Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training is completing manufacture of its Extensible Launching System (ExLS) Stand Alone Launcher ahead of qualification testing next year that will pave the way for ship integrations with MBDA's Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM).

The three-cell ExLS Stand Alone Launcher is specifically designed for smaller naval platforms that are unable to accommodate the larger eight-cell Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS). It is the first Lockheed Martin launcher system designed to fire the CAMM missile.

Re-using already qualified missile components, including canisters and their missile launch sequencing electronics to cut integration costs, the standalone ExLS has been conceived by Lockheed Martin to offer a low-cost alternative for integrating guided weapons into surface combatants not equipped with a VLS. A Host variant of ExLS has also been developed; this is essentially a 'launcher within a launcher' that enables integration within existing Mk 41 installations.

Lockheed Martin and MBDA signed a memorandum of understanding in May 2013 to jointly explore the market for the integration of MBDA naval missiles into Lockheed Martin shipborne vertical launchers. In a joint statement, the two companies said they would "work together to assess potential business opportunities with respect to potential sales of Lockheed Martin's Mk 41 VLS and ExLS and MBDA's air-defence and anti-ship missile systems".

CAMM, which uses a soft vertical launch technique to eject the missile from its launch canister, is the first MBDA missile to be integrated into the Mk 41/ExLS family. A soft launch demonstration of a CAMM missile from a Mk 41 VLS was conducted in September 2013 using the Host variant of the ExLS; as well as proving the ejection of the CAMM round to position the missile for main motor ignition, the trial also demonstrated that CAMM can be installed using ExLS in vessels that use the Mk 41 launcher, or in the smaller three-cell standalone ExLS CAMM launcher.

http://www.janes.com/article/54959/lockheed-martin-to-qualify-exls-camm-launcher-in-2016

Ace1

: Lockheed Martin to Begin Qualification Testing of 3-Cell ExLS in 2016

Lockheed Martin is concluding production of its 3-Cell ExLS Stand Alone Launcher designed to fire MBDA's Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) in October and, following qualification testing in mid-2016, will be available for use by Allied Navies around the Globe.


An MBDA Common Anti-air Modular Missile is ejected from a Lockheed Martin 3-Cell ExLS Launcher. The launcher, which is scheduled to be available in 2016, is designed for smaller Navy platforms that cannot accommodate the flexible 8-cell MK41 Vertical Launch System.

The 3-Cell Extensible Launching System (ExLS) CAMM Launcher is specifically designed for smaller naval platforms that are unable to accommodate the larger 8-cell MK41 Vertical Launch System.

"One of the unique features of ExLS is the ability to reuse already qualified missile components, including canisters and their missile launch sequencing electronics, then adapt them to integrate into a MK 41 VLS using a Host variant, or in a 3-Cell Standalone variant for platforms without VLS, said Jennifer Houston-Manchester, Lockheed Martin ExLS Engineering Program Manager. Tim Mansfield, Head of Sea Ceptor/ CAMM New Business for MBDA explains that "The ExLS components are common for all platforms. Using this approach extends the capabilities of the platforms, and reduces missile integration risks and costs."

The announcement follows the successful September 2013 test by Lockheed Martin and MBDA of the first launch of a CAMM from the MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) launcher using the Host variant of the ExLS.

Lockheed Martin and MBDA announced in May 2013 a cooperative effort between the two companies to offer MBDA missile systems for use with the MK 41 and ExLS family of launchers. The system uses MBDA's soft vertical launch technology to eject the CAMM from its canister and position the missile for main motor ignition

http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3092


Ace1

Lockheed Martin's New Standalone Launching System Significantly Reduces Weapons Integration Costs

CANBERRA, Australia, May 14, 2012 – Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] successfully demonstrated the latest variant of its new launching system that maximizes the use of existing hardware and electronics to reduce the integration costs of weapons by more than 50 percent.

During a May 5 test at the Royal Australian Air Force's Woomera Test Range in South Australia, the new Extensible Launching System (ExLS) standalone variant successfully fired two Nulka Offboard Countermeasure missile decoy test rounds. One decoy was provided by the U.S. Navy and the other by the Nulka designer and manufacturer BAE Systems Australia.

Developed in just 10 months, the new ExLS variant offers an alternative for vertically launched weapons on surface ships that aren't equipped with a vertical launching system (VLS), such as a MK 41 or MK 57. The ExLS standalone variant is ideally suited for smaller vessel classes.

Installed below deck, the new launcher significantly reduces the integration costs for individual weapons by serving as an adapter between the canister of a missile or munition and its qualified electronics, and the ship's existing weapons system.

"As initially envisioned, Lockheed Martin's original ExLS worked with ships equipped with either MK 41 or MK 57 Vertical Launch Systems, and we saw an opportunity expand the capability," said Colleen Arthur, director of Integrated Defense Systems for Lockheed Martin's Mission System & Sensors business. "With new standalone ExLS configuration, ships do not have to be equipped with a larger vertical launching system and can quickly and affordably adapt to different types of munitions."

The test in Australia also successfully demonstrated the system's Nulka munition adapter – a unique feature that enables the missile decoy to quickly and cost-effectively be inserted into ExLS. Adapters can also be developed for other missiles and munitions.

Work on the ExLS standalone launcher is done at Lockheed Martin's Baltimore, Md., facility.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 123,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's net sales for 2011 were $46.5 billion.



During a recent test in Australia, Lockheed Martin's Extensible Launching System (ExLS) successfully demonstrated its ability to launch missiles or munitions regardless of whether or not a ship is equipped with a vertical launching system.

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2012/may/0514-ms2-lockheed-martin_s-new-standalone-launching-system-significantly-.html