Why was Mark 41 not given a cell for European Aster or CAMM-family missiles to unify NATO warship equipment?
Short answerCompatible canisters can make integration possible, and CAMM has multiple-packing options; the claim about Aster is less certain.
NotesSuitable canisters allow missiles to use a Mark 41 cell without designing a wholly new launcher. Putting a cold-launch weapon into a hot-launch cell is considered easier than making the opposite adaptation. CAMM can be packed in multiple rounds, with the arrangement depending on the cell and missile length. Compatibility with Aster is also suggested, though with an explicit qualification about the certainty of that claim.