Lockheed Martin has revealed to Naval News that it is conducting preliminary discussions with Japanese industry regarding the licensed production of the Mk70. Also known as the “payload delivery system”, Mk70 is the company’s latest containerized Vertical Launching System (VLS).
The Mk70 integrates the Mk41 VLS—developed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin and adopted by naval vessels in 15 countries, including the U.S. Navy—into a 40-foot container. The container can accommodate a four-cell VLS, with a tiltable canister that is erected for missile launches.
The Mk70 has already been adopted by the U.S. Army under the designation Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system, capable of launching the SM-6 surface-to-air missile (which the Army employs as a hypersonic weapon) and the Tomahawk cruise missile. The U.S. Marine Corps has also deployed the Long-Range Fires (LRF) system, which integrates a single-cell VLS onto an unmanned vehicle, enabling Tomahawk launches.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy has also conducted shipboard installations and missile launch tests of the Mk70 at sea. In 2021, an SM-6 launch test was conducted from the unmanned surface vessel Ranger, followed by another test from the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Savannah (LCS 28) in 2023. In late 2024, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced a firepower enhancement plan for LCS vessels, incorporating the Mk70 on their aft decks to enable SM-6 and Tomahawk operations. Notably, the USS Nantucket (LCS 27), which entered service in November 2024, featured a Mk70 launcher on its aft deck during the commissioning ceremony.
There are currently no plans to introduce the Mk70 in Japan. However, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has shown interest in containerized VLS systems. As evidence of this, in 2024, a public solicitation was issued for a “Technical Study on Containerized SSM Launchers.” This initiative aims to integrate anti-ship missiles (ASMs) into containerized launch systems, enabling their deployment on vessels that are not originally planned to carry missiles, such as the new offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) that have just entered production.
The Mk70 can rapidly provide long-range missile launch capabilities to units and vessels that previously lacked such capabilities. This has two critical strategic implications:
- Imposing a heavy burden on the enemy
If all naval vessels and ground units possess long-range strike capabilities, the enemy will be forced to remain vigilant against attacks from all directions. To counter this, they would need to maximize their ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) capabilities to track the movements of various naval and ground units. However, this would require an immense amount of effort and resources, significantly straining their ISR capabilities.
- Increasing the number of missiles within the fleet
If ships equipped with the Mk70 are networked with Aegis destroyers and other air defense ships, missiles could be launched from the most optimal position based on the tactical situation. Additionally, even if an Aegis destroyer exhausts its missiles, it could still guide missiles launched from Mk70-equipped vessels, allowing sustained combat operations. In essence, the Mk70 would increase the so-called magazine depth within the fleet.
These advantages are highly relevant for Japan. As Japan seeks to bolster its defense capabilities in response to China’s increasing maritime expansion, the number of missiles that JMSDF ships can carry is of critical importance, especially since they will be directly confronting the Chinese Navy.
Currently, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) is the only company in the world licensed to produce the Mk41 VLS. Given this, it is highly likely that MHI is the Japanese counterpart Lockheed Martin is currently engaging in discussions with regarding the Mk70. Depending on the JMSDF’s future strategic direction, these preliminary discussions could potentially develop into full-scale deliberations on its introduction.
