XPost: sci.military.naval, soc.history.war.misc

from https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2023/10/us-navy-lcs-successfully-fires-sm-6-from-mk-70-payload-delivery-system/

USS Savannah (LCS 28) conducts a live-fire demonstration in the Eastern
Pacific Ocean utilizing a containerized launching system that fired an
SM-6 missile from the ship at a designated target. The exercise
demonstrated the modularity and lethality of Littoral Combat Ships and
the ability to successfully integrate a containerized weapons system to
engage a surface target. The exercise will inform continued testing,
evaluation and integration of containerized weapons systems on afloat platforms.

US Navy LCS Successfully Fires SM-6 From MK 70 Payload Delivery System
US Navy Littoral Combat Ship USS Savannah (LCS 28) successfully launched
an SM-6 missile from a MK 70 Mod 1 Payload Delivery System placed on the
ship's helicopter deck.
Xavier Vavasseur 25 Oct 2023

According to a Naval Surface Forces, US Pacific Fleet statement:

USS Savannah (LCS 28) conducted a live-fire demonstration Oct 24 in the
Eastern Pacific Ocean utilizing a containerized launching system that
fired an SM-6 missile at a designated target. The exercise demonstrated
the modularity and lethality of Littoral Combat Ships and the ability to successfully integrate a containerized weapons system to engage a
surface target. The exercise will inform continued testing, evaluation
and integration of containerized weapons systems on afloat platforms.

USS Savannah (LCS 28) was previously spotted sailing out of San Diego
with a MK 70 Payload Delivery System (PDS) on its flight deck. USNI News
was the first to inquire about the presence of the system on the ship
and what the Navy’s plans were for the USS Savannah and the system on
its flight deck.

“USS Savannah (LCS-28) will participate in a live-fire demonstration
during the fourth quarter of 2023 that will include a containerized
launching system. More information will be provided after the evolution
is complete,” Naval Surface Forces spokesperson Cmdr. Arlo Abrahamson
said in a statement to USNI News.

About the MK 70 Payload Delivery System
US Navy LCS Successfully Fires SM-6 from MK 70 Payload Delivery System
USS Savannah (LCS 28) conducts a live-fire demonstration in the Eastern
Pacific Ocean utilizing a containerized launching system that fired an
SM-6 missile from the ship at a designated target. The exercise
demonstrated the modularity and lethality of Littoral Combat Ships and
the ability to successfully integrate a containerized weapons system to
engage a surface target. The exercise will inform continued testing,
evaluation and integration of containerized weapons systems on afloat platforms.
As previously reported by Naval News, Washington has been moving fast to
field ground-launched long-range missiles, most of these covering ranges
that were previously prohibited under the now-dead Intermediate-Range
Nuclear Forces Treaty. The treaty prohibited the signatories from having ground-launched missiles with ranges of between 500 and 5,500
kilometers. Following the demise of the treaty in 2019, the US has been
moving fast to re-introduce missiles that cover those ranges.

The MK 70 PDS is a launcher system for these missiles. The system has
four strike-length MK.41 VLS cells housed in a 12 meter (40 ft)
container. The MK 70 PDS is produced by Lockheed Martin and was first
unveiled in September 2021 following the launch of an SM-6 by the USV
Ranger using the system.

Although the system has been primarily tested with the SM-6s, it is
compatible with every missile currently integrated into the MK.41 VLS, including the 1,200-mile (1,600 km) range Tomahawk Land Attack Missile
and its variants.

TAGS Littoral Combat Ship MK 70 US Navy

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