The US Navy conducts the first TRAM VLS loading test at sea

The U.S. Navy successfully launched a vertical launch system cell onto a cruiser this week in the first-ever test of a new reloading mechanism that the service says will be a “game-changing” ability to keep warships in combat without having to return to port loaded.

USS Chosin (CG-65) and USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11) held the test Friday off San Diego. The test involved loading an empty missile canister into the Mk.41 Vertical Launch Systems (VLS) of the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser. The Transferrable Rearming Mechanism (TRAM) was used, a new reloading system based on older concepts by the late Marvin Miller that appears to solve the relative movement problems of the former dismantling cranes. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro considered the development of TRAM as a priorityhighlighting its need and advancements since early 2023 as the service sought to cope with increasingly powerful adversaries close to its rivals.

The ability to reload and sustain combat missions without U.S. naval bases or friendly facilities is a growing problem as the service fights adversaries in the Red Sea and plans for contingencies in the Indo-Pacific region. In the Western Pacific, many U.S. naval bases are within range of Chinese long-range missiles, which may not be able to be used to resupply and resupply warships during a conflict. Meanwhile, bases that are not under active threat are outside the operational area, which NAVSEA Technology Office Director Tim Barnard highlighted after the TRAM test:

“The use of TRAM in the Military Sealift Command’s logistics fleet would allow combatants to remain in the theater of operations and reload their VLS missile launchers rather than having to travel long distances to a port, increasing the volume and speed of long-range fires – and those the U.S. Navy – would significantly increase advantage over adversaries.”

According to a Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) press release, the missile canister was transferred from Washington Chambers to Chosin using the resupply process already underway in Sea State Four. Once aboard the missile cruiser, the canister reached the VLS cell via rails attached directly to the Mk.41 system. From there, TRAM tilted the canister vertically and lowered it into the cell.

NAVSEA also claimed that the receiving warship could also be refueled and replenished with provisions at the same time as its VLS cells were being reloaded, as TRAM was designed for en route resupply. “The fighter can stay close to the action to be armed, refueled and resupplied at the same time.” Richard Hadley, UNREP department head at NSWC PHD, said in the release.

Further details about the test, such as how long the reload took, what would happen to used missile canisters and whether TRAM would speed up the laborious and lengthy VLS reload process, were not mentioned by the Navy. However, del Toro and NAVSEA emphasized that this test was the first of many in which TRAM was refined and developed for operations. Del Toro said:

“This demonstration marks an important milestone on the path to perfecting this capability and deploying it for sustained operations at sea.”

Reloading the Mk.41 pier side is notoriously a lengthy process, with a single rocket cell taking up to half an hour to load. For reference, the US Navy’s primary surface combat aircraft, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, has up to 96 missile cells. It is unclear whether this process is accelerated by TRAM or remains the same at sea.

Before this test at sea TRAM was previously tested on the ground by the Naval Surface Warfare CenterDivision Port Hueneme and sailors from Chosin in July at Naval Base Ventura County. Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti also observed the system during her tour of the facility in late 2023.

The Navy wants to add TRAM to the fleet by 2026 or 2027, according to Del Toro.