DDG 128 will be the second Arleigh Burke-class destroyer built in the Flight III configuration by HII at Ingalls Shipbuilding, following DDG 125 Jack H. Lucas, the first Flight III ship. DDG 126 Louis H. Wilson Jr. is being built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. DDG 127 is a Arleigh Burke-class destroyer built in a previous configuration known as Flight IIA Technology Insertion.
DDG 128’s name honors former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, who served as a pilot in World War II and later as a senator representing Alaska. At the time he left office in 2009, he was the longest-serving Republican U.S. Senator in history.
“As we begin this important milestone in the construction of another great warship, we look forward to continuing production and carrying on the extraordinary legacy of the Navy destroyer fleet,”
Ingalls DDG 51 Program Manager George Nungesser said.
Ingalls has delivered 31 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the U.S. Navy. Other destroyers currently under construction include Delbert D. Black (DDG 119), Frank E. Peterson Jr. (DDG 121), Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123) and Jack H. Lucas (DDG125).
About DDG 51 Flight III Destroyer
Flight III destroyers will have improved capability and capacity to perform Anti-Air Warfare and Ballistic Missile Defense in support of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense mission. This system delivers quick reaction time, high firepower, and increased electronic countermeasures capability for Anti-Air Warfare.
The Flight III design contains modifications from the earlier DDG 51 class, to enable the SPY-6 radar, in association with Aegis Baseline 10, which includes larger electronically scanned arrays and the power generation and cooling equipment required to operate the powerful new radar.
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