U.S. Navy's New Missile Adds Punch & Sustainability

Summary

The US Navy is set to significantly enhance its offensive capabilities by integrating the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile into the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) on many surface combatants. This development, supported by Lockheed Martin and the US Navy, allows for a higher hit-to-kill ratio and the ability to intercept ballistic missiles up to 20 miles and advanced fighters up to 100 miles away. The PAC-3 can be dual or quad-packed into a single VLS cell, potentially increasing the missile load of ships like the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. With a successful land-based test and high production rates, the Navy anticipates a rapid rollout, aiming to improve operational longevity and response capabilities without the need for new ship construction.

Takeaways

• 🎉 The US Navy is set to significantly increase the offensive capability of its surface combatants equipped with the Mark 41 VLS system within this year.
• 🚢 USS Latay Golf, a TA class cruiser, has returned home after over 40 years of service and will now be decommissioned.
• 💰 There is a strategic move to decommission older cruisers for cost savings, allowing for investment in 21st-century systems.
• 🚀 Lockheed Martin and the US Navy are integrating the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) missile onto the Mark 41 VLS system, enhancing defensive capabilities.
• 🔭 The PAC-3 missile has been proven to be extremely accurate and long-range, with a high hit-to-kill ratio, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles up to 20 miles and advanced fighters up to 100 miles.
• 🛡️ The integration with the Aegis combat system and Baseline 10 radar allows for tracking and engaging hundreds of targets simultaneously with various missiles.
• 🚀 The first successful land-based test of the PAC-3 using Aegis guidance and radar has been completed, paving the way for at-sea testing.
• 🧩 Rear Admiral Fred Pile mentioned that PAC-3 missiles can be dual or quad packed into a single VLS cell, significantly increasing the missile loadout on ships.
• 💡 The increased missile production rate for the PAC-3, with 550 missiles being built annually, addresses concerns about depleting missile stocks observed in recent conflicts.
• 💸 While the PAC-3 missile is more expensive than some other missiles, its increased production rate and ability to pack more per VLS cell provide a strategic advantage.
• 🔝 The successful integration and deployment of PAC-3 missiles will greatly enhance the US Navy's surface combatants' capabilities without the need for new ship construction.

Q & A

What is the significance of the US Navy's recent announcement regarding the Mark 41 VLS system?

The US Navy has announced a significant increase in the offensive capability of surface combatants equipped with the Mark 41 VLS system by integrating the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 missile, enhancing their defensive capabilities without needing to build new ships or systems.

What does the decommissioning of the USS Latay Golf signify?

The decommissioning of the USS Latay Golf, a TA condur class cruiser, signifies the end of an era for this highly awarded and distinguished ship, which has served for over 40 years. It also represents a strategic decision to allocate resources to newer, 21st-century systems.

How does the integration of the Patriot missile with the Aegis combat system benefit the US Navy?

The integration allows ships equipped with both systems to fire the Patriot missile, which is highly accurate, long-range, and can intercept ballistic missiles and advanced fighters, thus enhancing the defensive capabilities of the fleet.

What is the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 missile's hit-to-kill ratio, and why is it significant?

The Patriot Advanced Capability 3 missile has a very high hit-to-kill ratio, which means it is extremely accurate. This is significant because it can effectively intercept and destroy its targets, reducing the need for multiple launches.

How does the Baseline 10 Aegis radar system complement the Patriot missile?

The Baseline 10 Aegis radar system can track hundreds of targets simultaneously and engage them with a variety of missiles, including the Patriot missile. This integration allows for a more efficient and effective defense system.

What is the advantage of being able to dual and quad pack Patriot missiles into a single VLS cell?

Dual and quad packing allows for a higher number of missiles to be carried in the same space, increasing the ship's firepower and ability to engage multiple targets without needing to return for reloads as often.

How does the production rate of Patriot missiles compare to other standard missiles in the US Navy's arsenal?

The production rate of Patriot missiles is significantly higher, with 550 being built annually compared to 100 to 150 of the standard missiles. This higher production rate allows for a rapid increase in the Navy's missile capabilities.

What is the cost implication of deploying Patriot missiles on US Navy ships?

While the Patriot missile costs $3 million each, which is more expensive than the SM-2 missile, the ability to fit four Patriot missiles per VLS cell and the higher production rate make it a cost-effective solution for increasing the Navy's offensive capabilities.

How does the successful land-based test of the Patriot missile using Aegis guidance and radar impact the US Navy's future plans?

The successful test indicates that the integration of the Patriot missile with the Aegis system is viable and effective. This paves the way for at-sea testing and eventual deployment of the Patriot missile on US Navy ships.

What lessons from recent conflicts have influenced the decision to increase missile production and capabilities?

Lessons learned from the Red Sea incidents and the war in Ukraine, where missile stocks were depleted at a rate faster than they could be replaced, have highlighted the need for increased munitions production and more capable missile systems.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 US Navy's Offensive Capability Upgrade

The US Navy is set to significantly enhance the offensive capabilities of its surface combatants equipped with the Mark 41 VLS system within this year. The script opens with a tribute to the USS Latay Golf, a distinguished TA condur class cruiser returning home after over 40 years of service, which will now be decommissioned. The decommissioning is seen as a strategic move to allocate resources to modern 21st-century systems. The main focus is on the integration of the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) missile onto the Mark 41 VLS system, which is compatible with ships using the Aegis combat system. The PAC-3 missile has been proven to be highly accurate and long-range, with a high hit-to-kill ratio, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles up to 20 miles and advanced fighters up to 100 miles. This development is significant as it allows for the use of existing systems without the need for new ship construction, with the first successful test of the PAC-3 using Aegis guidance and radar having been completed recently.

05:02

🛡️ Enhancing Naval Missile Arsenal with PAC-3 Integration

The script discusses the game-changing integration of the Patriot PAC-3 missile into the US Navy's arsenal, which allows for a 4:1 ratio of PAC-3 missiles per VLS cell, significantly increasing the missile capacity of ships like the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. This advancement means that instead of one missile per cell, four PAC-3 missiles can be packed into the same space, providing a much longer time on station and reducing the need for frequent reloads. The increased missile production rate, currently at 550 PAC-3 missiles per year, is highlighted as a strategic advantage, especially in light of recent conflicts that have depleted missile stocks. The summary also touches on the cost-effectiveness of the PAC-3 compared to other missile systems like the SM-2 and SM-6, and the potential configurations of missile loads on naval vessels. The successful test of the PAC-3 system and its imminent rollout by the end of the year is expected to provide a substantial boost to the US Navy's defensive and offensive capabilities without the need for new ship designs.

Keywords

💡US Navy

The US Navy is the branch of the United States Department of Defense that is responsible for naval operations and maintaining naval forces. In the video's theme, it is central to the discussion of enhancing offensive capabilities of surface combatants equipped with the Mark 41 VLS system. The script mentions the development of new systems for the 21st century, indicating the Navy's ongoing modernization efforts.

💡Mark 41 VLS system

The Mark 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) is a shipborne canister-based launcher for a variety of different missile types. It is a key component of the US Navy's surface combatants, allowing them to fire missiles for anti-air, anti-submarine, and anti-surface warfare. The script highlights the integration of new missile capabilities into this system, which is a significant part of the Navy's offensive enhancement.

💡USS latay golf

The USS latay golf is mentioned in the script as a distinguished ship with a 40-year history of service. Although the exact name seems to be a typographical error or mispronunciation (possibly referring to the USS Gettysburg), it serves to illustrate the long-standing service of naval vessels and their crews. The ship's decommissioning is a part of the Navy's strategy to retire older vessels in favor of investing in newer systems.

💡TA condur class cruiser

The TA condur class cruiser, which seems to be a mispronunciation or error in the script (possibly referring to the Ticonderoga class cruiser), represents a class of ships that the US Navy has been looking to decommission for cost savings. These cruisers, equipped with the Aegis combat system, are being retired to redirect funds towards more modern systems.

💡Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin is a major American aerospace, defense, security, and technology company that often collaborates with the US military on various projects. In the context of the video, Lockheed Martin is involved in the development and testing of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile integration with the Mark 41 VLS system, demonstrating a key partnership in military technology advancement.

💡Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile

The Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile is a high-precision, long-range missile designed for intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and aircraft. The script discusses the integration of this missile with the Mark 41 VLS system, which would significantly increase the defensive capabilities of US Navy ships equipped with this system.

💡Aegis combat system

The Aegis combat system is an advanced,全自动的舰载战斗系统 that integrates radar, sonar, and computer systems to track and engage enemy targets. The script mentions the integration of the PAC-3 missile with this system, which would allow for the simultaneous tracking of hundreds of targets and engagement with a variety of missiles.

💡Rear Admiral Fred Pile

Rear Admiral Fred Pile is a high-ranking officer in the US Navy who is mentioned in the script as providing insights into the new missile system. His comments about the ability to dual and quad pack Patriot PAC-3 missiles into one VLS cell highlight the increased missile capacity and flexibility that this technology brings to the fleet.

💡VLS cell

A VLS cell refers to an individual launching tube within the Vertical Launching System. The script explains that the US Navy can pack four Patriot PAC-3 missiles into one VLS cell, which is a significant increase in missile capacity compared to other missile types that typically occupy one cell per missile.

💡Munitions production

Munitions production refers to the manufacturing of military ordnance, such as missiles. The script discusses the increased production of Patriot missiles in Camden, Arkansas, which is a response to the lessons learned from recent conflicts about the need for a larger stockpile of munitions.

💡Cost-effectiveness

Cost-effectiveness in the context of the video refers to the balance between the cost of a missile and its strategic value. The script contrasts the cost of different missile types, such as the SM-2 and SM-6, with the Patriot PAC-3, noting that while the Patriot is more expensive, its increased production rate and ability to pack more missiles per VLS cell make it a cost-effective choice for enhancing naval capabilities.

Highlights

US Navy is set to significantly increase the offensive capability of surface combatants with the Mark 41 VLS system.

USS latay golf returns home after her final deployment with a 40-year history of service.

TA condur class cruisers are being decommissioned for cost savings and to invest in 21st-century systems.

Lockheed Martin and the US Navy are integrating the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 missile onto the Mark 41 VLS system.

The Patriot missile has been battle-tested and is extremely accurate with a high hit-to-kill ratio.

The integration allows for the firing of Patriot missiles from ships equipped with the Aegis combat system.

The Aegis radar, like Baseline 10, can track hundreds of targets simultaneously.

The Patriot missile can be dual and quad-packed into one VLS cell, increasing missile capacity.

Each Arleigh Burke-class destroyer can potentially carry 96 missiles, with the new configuration.

The Navy is learning from recent conflicts about the need for more missile stockpiles.

Patriot missile production is at 550 units per year, significantly higher than other missile types.

The increased production capacity of the Patriot missile allows for broader deployment across the Navy.

The cost-effectiveness of the Patriot missile is highlighted by its production rate and packing capability.

The successful land-based test of the Patriot missile using Aegis guidance and radar is a significant milestone.

Plans for at-sea testing of the Patriot missile from ships are underway.

The integration of the Patriot missile system represents a significant increase in naval offensive capability.

The program has been in development for some time but has recently achieved a successful test.

Transcripts

hey welcome back we have some exciting

news coming out of the US Navy we have

in a very short time and I'm talking

like this year significantly increase

the offensive capability of all of our

surface combatants that have the Mark 41

VLS system which is the majority of them

we're going to get into that in just a

second but first I need to say a big

congratulations to the officers and crew

of the USS latay golf she has returned

home from her final deployment and has a

40 some year history of service to this

nation uh spending the careers of many

sailors some of you watching this have

probably served on her feel free to add

your stories to the comments below uh

this is a ship that is highly awarded

and distinguished uh it's kind of sad to

see her go I mean because she is from my

generation of the Navy but we are all

aging out and it is her turn and she's

doing so uh with pride and honor so

congratulations uh she will be

decommissioned now this is a TA condur

class cruiser these are the Cruisers the

Navies have been trying to decommission

for cost savings for years now and it is

happening and it is the right time in my

opinion because we need to take that

money and push it into new systems that

are of the 21st century um but before we

go into our real story today I just want

to say uh thank you to everybody that

served on board that kept these ships

going decade after decade especially

recently when it's more and more

difficult uh to keep them operational uh

you guys all did a great job and uh

another tyon R class cruiser is going to

be retired very soon now the big news

coming out of Lockheed Martin Ron and

the US Navy is that they're ramping up

the defensive capabilities by

integrating the Patriot Advanced

capability 3 missile onto the Mark 41

VLS system on board many of our ships

that also use the AIS combat system if

it has both those systems it can now

fire the Patriot missile essentially uh

so the Patriot missile has been battle

tested especially recently over and over

again uh it is very accurate much it is

as accurate as everybody said it was

there were a lot of people wondering and

there were naysayers going there's no

way it's that good and then it's a first

deployment in the original Gulf War 1991

was hit and miss literally but this

generation of patriot missil some 30

years later is extremely accurate and

long range and relatively small compared

to the s SM sixs and even the sm2 that

are on board us ships today so the Pack

3 has a very high um hit to kill ratio

it's designed to intercept ballistic

missiles out to over 20 miles and

advanced Fighters closer to 100 miles it

has a wide range of capabilities in just

one missile it stands out with the

improved AIS radar like the Baseline 10

that we have that can can track hundreds

of targets at the same time time while

engaging them with a large variety of

missiles whether it's the sm2 the sm6

and now the Pack 3 this is an awesome

development because we don't need to

build new ships we don't need to build

new systems we already have the Patriot

we've had it for years we've had the

agis for years and now we're marrying

them together like a peanut butter and

jelly sandwich it's just wonderful it's

a it's a great thing it's a great

marriage right there I love the that's a

yeah I could say it's like an Oreo

cookie but then a biscuit would probably

come after me I could say it's like

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup but then

whoever the hell owns Reese's would come

after me uh who owns peanut butter and

jelly

time you know the

song anyway it's a great marriage of

technologies that we already have so we

don't need significant lead time in

development uh we there's a small amount

of development of integration getting

them on board the ships of course but

the first successful test from a

landbased uh facility this was an actual

missile launch not a simulation of the

Pack 3 using AIS guidance and Aegis

radar to guide it to Target was

successful so the next logical step is

to do that same test at C there's no

reason why the at C test won't work as

well as the one on landed but they still

need to do it once that's done we're

going to see pack 3's rolling out into

the US Navy I think quite quickly I

think by the end of this year is what

I'm thinking is going to happen so what

is what does this mean well in a recent

interview that is fantastic by the

center strategic and International

Studies they asked rear Admiral Fred

pile to come in for about an hourong

talk about many different things

including this system and according to

Admiral pile the US Navy can duel and

quad pack Patriot pack 3s into one VLS

cell that is key that is the big uh one

of the two big things about this missile

that's so good is that you can have a

4:1 ratio per uh VLS cell so each Arley

Burke has 96 VLS cells uh that means it

can carry 96 missiles unless it's an

essm which is a short range point

defense missile for defending the ship

that is a quad pack well now we can quad

pack a patriot missile into that same

VLS cell and have ranges close to 100

miles shooting down aircraft cruise

missiles and ballistic missiles at a

range of about 20 miles four of those

per VLS versus one missile per vs and so

was a point defense missile the essm

could easily be replaced with a much

longer Patriot missile system or you

could replace one ssm2 missile block 3

Alpha for example with four Patriot

missiles and shoot down four different

targets this is going to give uh ships

like the Arley Burke much longer time on

station they won't need to come back for

reloads as often these are all lessons

learned that we've learned really from

the Red Sea but also the Ukraine war

where we don't have enough missiles this

should not be a shock to anybody but it

was because they're expensive and nobody

wants to pay for a bunch of missiles

we're not going to need now we have

evidence we have the Red Sea and we have

this war in Ukraine where stocks are

depleting at a rate that we're not

replacing so we know that we need to

ramp up uh Munitions production which is

what the United States is doing now that

is another huge benefit to the uh

Patriot system is right now in Camden

Arkansas those guys down there are going

to town they are building 550 Patriot

missiles a year they're cranking them

out multiple a day and the standard

missiles are somewhere between 100 and

150 a year so we have like five times

more production of the Patriot missiles

than we do the standard missiles whether

it's standard two standard six we're

getting about a 100 now we are ramping

up the standard missile production to

200 that's in progress but it hasn't

happened yet we're already at 550 a year

of the patri

so we have a lot more capability to make

more of them and so we're going to begin

using them on board the USS on board the

US Navy ships as well of course the Army

is still going to get some too I'm sure

I wonder what the Army thinks of this

like the the Army's been buying our

tomahawks for years I think we can have

a couple pay trads okay Army calm down

calm thyself anyway great news uh so

like the Eary Burke with 96 VLS could

have just under 400 missiles on board

but in reality that's not going to be

how they deploy they're still going to

have the sm2 which cost only half a

million dollars each approximately uh

the the Patriot cost $3 million so it's

still not a bargain but that sm6 which

is the most versatile and capable and

long range missile in the United States

Navy that thing costs $5 million a pop

it's very expensive but it also does

everything it shoots down ballistic

missiles at a much longer range than the

uh than the Patriot does but you could

also configure it to uh engage a surface

ship now if you want to use a five

million doll to destroy a surface ship

that had better be an expensive surface

ship because it's likely that that

missile cost more than that ship does

you know we're always on the wrong side

of this cost to kill ratio but when you

add the value of the ship that you're

defending whether it's shipping or own

ship obviously uh that's where the value

comes in using that missile we don't

need to get into that topic the point is

uh the Patriot is not a bargain by price

it is a bargain in that we're already

making five times more of them than the

standard missile and we can fit four

times as many per vs in each VLS cell

across the Navy that is a significant

nearly overnight within one year

increase of our Naval capability it is

this is huge huge news and I'm so glad

that I didn't even know about this

program until like this week this is

brand new to me it's been in development

for a long time but with this successful

test just this month uh by loed Martin

and rth working together hey it's Aaron

from the future here the Ron part of the

Patriot missile is its lowcost guidance

system the missile is still built and

assembled by locked Martin Lockheed

Martin was doing the test because I

believe they uh they have won the test

facility and the agis radar uh that they

used to guide the Patriot anyway it all

came together it was it's a it's a great

meshing of uh technology and capability

and we don't need to build and design

new ships to employ it we already have

them in the fleet

it's just great and if you want to know

more about upcoming Naval technology and

capability watch this video right here