First Flight III Arleigh Burke destroyer 44% complete as USN eyes future DDG(X) requirements
As the USN begins to firm up its specifications for the DDG(X) platform, the final variant of the venerable Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyers marks the beginning of the end for one of the service’s most successful platforms.
With the first of the Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) nearing the halfway mark of its build, the USN is eyeing it and subsequent ships to mature technologies that will be fitted to the service’s next-generation large surface combatant, the future DDG(X).
The Flight III DDGs will be equipped with the latest AN/SPY-6(V) radar, as will six other classes of warships across the fleet including the future Constellation-class frigates. Flight III will also feature the Aegis Baseline 10 combat system. A total of 13 Flight III vessels are under contract to date, according to Shephard
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