Defence company BAE Systems was awarded a $37 million U.S. Department of Defense Ordnance Technology Consortium (DOTC) contract to design the Next Generation Evolved SeaSparrow Missile Launch System (NGELS).
NGELS is a deck-mounted, fixed-angle launcher that leverages BAE Systems’ Adaptable Deck Launcher (ADL) concept to store and launch ESSMs from Mk 25 missile canisters, which are also produced by BAE Systems.
The system will support the fielding of the latest and most highly-capable ESSM missile, the Block 2 variant, a multi-role surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missile capable of protecting aircraft carriers and other flat-decked ships against advanced air and surface threats.
NGELS will use Mk 41 Vertical Launching System subsystems to deliver surface-to-air and surface-to-surface defense capabilities to aircraft carriers and amphibious ships in order to defeat missile threats.
The company will also support the NATO SeaSparrow Program Office (NSPO) to design and deliver prototype deck launching systems to support the U.S. Navy and allied countries with the Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) ship self-defense system.
“We have a long history of providing missile integration, launching systems, and canister design to the U.S. Navy,” said Brent Butcher , vice president of the weapon systems product line at BAE Systems.