BAE Systems said on 27 October 2026 that it had completed the first live-fire test of its Adaptable Deck Launcher at China Lake, California. The launcher, which the company calls the ADL, mounts on a ship’s deck and fires Evolved SeaSparrow Missiles.

The company’s release did not give the date of the test or say how many missiles were fired.

BAE said the launcher was developed under a US Department of War contract for the NATO Seasparrow Project Office.

According to the company, it uses the existing logistics and electronics suite of the Mk 41 Vertical Launching System, which BAE describes as the foundation of naval missile integration, and is meant to offer the reliability of a vertical launcher at low operating cost.

The release said the system “doubles combat capabilities” for US Navy and allied fleets, but gave no figures behind that claim.

Reloading at sea

A key advantage, according to BAE, is faster reloading while a ship is under way. The company said this helps ships keep up high rates of fire without returning to port, and that the reload uses standard shipboard equipment.

Jason Casciotti, vice president of Weapons Systems at BAE Systems, said: “The successful demonstration of the Adaptable Deck Launcher is a major milestone in our commitment to enhancing the Navy’s combat effectiveness and readiness.”

He said the ADL “complements the Mk 41 VLS” by “providing a capability for rapid replenishment”.

Casciotti also said the system offers the fleet “additional flexibility in how it sustains combat loads at sea”. BAE’s release framed the launcher as an addition to the Mk 41 rather than a replacement for it, with the two systems sharing the Mk 41’s logistics and electronics suite.

Where it would be fitted

BAE said the launcher is intended for aircraft carriers, amphibious ships and other surface combatants. The company also said the system is optimized for unmanned warfare, with compact configurations for medium unmanned surface vessels.

BAE is the mechanical design agent for the Mk 41 family of launchers. It said it designed the ADL for full compatibility with the Evolved SeaSparrow Missile Mk 25 Quad-Pack canister.

According to BAE, those canisters give ships surface-to-air defence against supersonic anti-ship missiles, aircraft and other aerial threats.

The company did not say when the launcher might be fitted to a ship, how many units are on order, or which navies beyond the United States might buy it. The release named only the US Navy and “allied fleets” as intended users.

The image BAE released with the announcement is a rendering of the launcher during a launch sequence.

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