Lockheed Martin has received a $7,1 million order for the manufacture of spare and repair parts used in the MK-41 Vertical Launching System (VLS ).

The contract, announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Defense, covers production of spare and repair parts for a modular, below deck, canister missile launching system. The Mk 41 VLS is a multi-missile, multi-mission launcher, capable of launching SM-2, SM-3, SM-6, ESSM, Tomahawk, and Vertical Launch ASROC missiles.

According to Lockheed Martin, MK 41 VLS is the only launchingsystem  that can simultaneously accommodate
the weapon control system and the missiles of every warfighting mission area—anti-aircraft, anti-surface, antisubmarine and land attack.

The system is designed to accept any missile into any cell—a capability that provides unparalleled flexibility.

The basic foundation is an eight-cell MK 41 VLS module that can be assembled in desired numbers to meet specific mission and hull requirements.

MK 41 VLS is currently deployed in 13 different configurations, ranging from a single module with eight-cells to 16 modules with 122- cells.

The basic module is available in three sizes: Strike, Tactical and SelfDefense. The Strike module is approximately
25 feet (7.6 meters) long and capable of launching the largest missiles such as those that support sea-based
midcourse ballistic missile defense and long-range strike.

The U.S. Department of Defense also noted that al work will be completed by November 2019.