Strike-length VLS and room for future weapons

Which VLS length would have been the best choice when introducing the system in the 1980s, with or without hindsight?

Strike length is preferred for flexibility, with short launchers justified by ship and cost constraints. Tactical length has a less clear purpose in this assessment, which favours the larger Mark 57 arrangement.

Strike-length launchers are the preferred choice, although ship size, role and cost can justify shorter cells. Short and strike lengths have clearer purposes than the intermediate tactical length in this assessment. Type 45's Sylver A50 installation provides the example: fitting A70 cells is proposed as a way to gain additional options where space was available. Triple-packing CAMM in those cells is suggested as one potential use. The longer and slightly wider Mark 57 launcher on Zumwalt is praised for its growth margin. The preference for Mark 57 and criticism of its limited use remain design judgments. The proposed Type 45 arrangements are alternatives to the installation described, rather than completed refits.