Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyGermany is the latest country to announce plans for a missile-toting new class of uncrewed vessels that will serve as arsenal ship ‘wingmen,’ supporting conventional surface combatants. The arsenal ships will be equipped with vertical launchers for different missiles, to support the F127’s air defense and maritime strike taskings. Like the German design, the Dutch support vessels will bring additional air defense missiles to help existing Dutch frigates. German NavyOverall, Germany’s plans for the LRMV reflect a growing interest in support vessels with an arsenal ship role. These same concerns are seeing interest in the United States and other countries in large uncrewed surface vessels with modular weapons payloads, allowing them to be adapted for a range of missions as required.