Q&A · 31:09-40:12

Swing-arm launchers beside modern VLS batteries

A reloadable swing-arm battery could carry strike weapons and provide reserve air defence, while VLS supplies the rapid firing needed against dense attacks.

Question

Could a modern swing-arm launcher scaled to Sea Dart size handle land and surface strike while preserving VLS depth for air defence?

Short answer

It could supplement VLS for several missions and provide a reloadable reserve, but VLS retains a decisive rate-of-fire advantage against mass attacks.

Notes

A swing-arm launcher could carry land-attack, anti-surface or anti-submarine weapons while leaving more VLS capacity available for air defence. Interest in a reloadable launcher also follows from the ammunition demands of active interception, with ships trying to shoot down incoming weapons. VLS can launch missiles in rapid succession, giving it an advantage against dense attacks. A mixed battery could include anti-air missiles in the swing-arm magazine as a reserve after the VLS cells were depleted. That reloadable reserve could continue providing cover while the ship withdrew to restock. The proposed division of work depends on the expected threat and the launch rate each mission requires.