How the U.S. Army's Next-Gen Launch System Optimized Efficiency While Delivering on Strategy
Five months ago, a nondescript convoy rolled into the Philippines with the U.S. Army, but this wasn't just any delivery.
At first glance, it resembled a standard military truck pulling a 40-foot, olive-drab container. Yet inside was no ordinary cargo. This vehicle was carrying a new system of strategic deterrence—one designed to shape the balance of power in the region.
Tucked inside was a Mark 41 Vertical Launching System (MK 41 VLS), a land-mobile platform built for rapid deployment. In moments, the launcher shifts from horizontal to vertical, poised to strike. Steered by a tailored version of the Aegis command and control software, the Mid-Range Capability (MRC) offers a glimpse into cutting-edge performance and streamlined operational efficiency.
Here are three standout features that highlight its strategic prowess and process optimization:
1: Mission Value
Prior to 2020, missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers were banned by treaty. But when that treaty was dissolved in 2019, the U.S. found itself urgently needing capabilities that could reach those distances, to deter near-peer adversaries.
PrSM missiles, built by Lockheed Martin and launched on HIMARS batteries, have a range of about 300 miles or 500 kilometers. And the Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, also built by Lockheed Martin, would handle far-flung targets. The Army needed something in the middle, with a longer range than PrSM but still rapidly deployable, highly precise, and ready fast.
That’s where MRC comes in. It fills the gap between PrSM and LRHW, and puts would-be adversaries on notice that the U.S. has the capabilities to defeat threats with unmatched speed and precision. You can imagine the message the Army was able to send with this rapid development and deployment to the Indo-Pacific.
And they aren’t finished with those deployments yet. Earlier this month, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said she was exploring the possibility of MRC deploying to Japan for joint exercises along with the Army’s Multi-Domain Task Force.
That’s a message of strength – and a message we helped the Army deliver.
2: Rapid Delivery
MRC started as a concept on paper in 2020. Four years later, two batteries have been delivered to the U.S. Army and we currently have two additional batteries under contract.
As we work to deliver 21st Century Security® capabilities to our customers, we utilize our mission-driven business and digital transformation program, 1LMX.
1LMX allowed us to drive innovations like digital design and engineering, coupled with smart re-use of existing technologies and streamlined processes. This empowered the team to move fast while still maintaining a high bar for quality and safety, delivering this system in record time.
3: Innovative Acquisition
We worked with the Army as they awarded us a quick-turn contract for MRC. And they wanted it fast – really fast.
From acquisition and contract award to supply chain and acceptance testing, we worked with the Army to define and optimize processes that moved at the speed of need. The Army lauded this system as being developed “in record time.” Leveraging the Navy’s MK 41 VLS proven technology, we cut timing, reduced risk, and saved costs – for both the Army and the Navy, because in buying additional launchers and Aegis systems, they created new economies of scale.
We continue to integrate both offensive and defensive missiles into our MK 41 VLS family of launchers, which includes MRC, that would allow the Army to thicken existing and future batteries to meet their emerging requirements.