US littoral combat ship launches missile interceptor that can attack air and ground targets for the first time
The U.S. Navy conducted an exercise involving the Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Savannah (LCS 28). During the event, he launched the Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) for the first time.
The exercise was a demonstration of the possibility of integrating a containerized launch system on LCS littoral combat ships. The SM-6 can be used both as an anti-aircraft missile to intercept air threats and to strike enemy ground targets.
A few weeks ago, the USS Savannah (LCS 28) was spotted with a Mk 70 portable launcher. The system was developed by Lockheed Martin and allows the launch of both SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The Mk 70 consists of four cells of the Mk 41 vertical launch system placed in a 12-meter container. It was introduced by Lockheed Martin a little over two years ago. The SM-6 Block I has a launch range of 240 km, and the Tomahawk cruise missile can hit targets within a radius of 1600 km.
In fact, the Mk 70 is compatible with all missiles that can be launched by the Mk 41 system. The US Army uses the Mk 70 in its Mid-Range Capability program. The military recently conducted test launches of Tomahawk cruise missiles.
