The MK 57 Advanced Vertical Launching System (AVLS) is the next-generation naval missile launching system for future surface combatants of the U.S. Navy. The MK 57 has been designed for the DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer and can rapidly launch of missiles into a 360-degree hemispherical volume in support of multiple mission areas. Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems serves as the ship electronics and weapons integrator for DDG-1000, and the MK 57 development is led by Raytheon in partnership with United Defense, L.P. The MK 57 launcher was recognized by the Department of Defense and the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) as a 2006 top-five DoD program award winner for excellence in systems engineering.
The LynxOS® real-time operating system is used extensively by the DDG-1000 program in multiple areas, such as in ships' embedded distribution application processors (DAPs). The DAPs control key interfaces of the ship, including the missile launching equipment, the ship's propulsion equipment, and external communications equipment.
