Belgium Navy to equip its future ASWFs with only two VLS Mk 41.

According to information published by the RTBF on December 19, 2021, future Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates (ASWF) will be equipped with only two VLS Mk 41, one per ship or two VLSs on a single ship, the Belgian Minister of Defense Ludivine Dedonder said.
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The Mk 41 VLS of the frigate HMNZS Te Kaha (Picture source: Ingolfson)

The Mk 41 Vertical Launching System / VLS is a modular, below deck, canister missile launching system that was originally designed for the Navy’s Aegis-equipped guided missile cruisers to provide air threat protection for naval battle groups. The Mk 41 VLS is a multi-missile, multi-mission launcher, capable of launching SM-2, SM-3, SM-6, ESSM, Tomahawk, and Vertical Launch ASROC missiles.

MK 41 is built to store and launch ballistic and long-range strike weapons such as the Tomahawk missile, the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile system, and the Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket.

The Anti-Submarine Warfare Frigate (ASWF) is a project of the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN, Dutch: Koninklijke Marine) and Belgian Navy to replace the existing Multipurpose- or M-frigates. The project shows similarities to the British Global Combat Ship (also formerly named FSC program) but development is fully separate.