BAE Systems to Manufacture Vertical Launch Canisters for U.S. Navy Foreign Customers Our Bureau 437 BAE Systems has won a $76 million contract modification to produce additional Vertical Launch System (VLS) canisters for the U.S. Navy and its allies. The canisters play a critical role for storing, transporting, and firing a range of offensive and defensive missiles from the deck of the Navy’s guided-missile cruisers and destroyers. Under the contract now totaling $306 million, BAE Systems will produce canisters for the Mk 13, Mk 14, Mk 25, Mk 29 and other hardware for the Navy. The contract will also support purchases from the governments of Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, and Turkey under a Foreign Military Sales program.