Vertical launch systems place each missile in its firing cell, removing the trainable arm and much of the mechanical handling cycle. A public Dutch Navy comparison gives a 24-cell VLS less than eight seconds to empty, while an older arm launcher fires four missiles in nine seconds. Actual combat output may still be limited by tube clearance and the combat system's ability to manage simultaneous engagements. That same air-defence priority worked against large naval guns because it rewarded systems able to put projectiles or missiles into the air quickly. Excess launcher capacity remains valuable because it avoids imposing a second bottleneck on top of fire control.
Chapter · 2:18:28-2:26:13
From gun autoloaders to vertical launch systems
Vertical launch systems carry the rate-of-fire logic of autoloaders into missile warfare by removing mechanical launcher handling.