HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Mississippi has concluded the final trials of the US Navy’s 78th Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the USS Ted Stevens (DDG 128).
The trials, facilitated both in port and at sea, included a full series of acceptance tests and evaluations overseen by the military’s Board of Inspection and Survey.
The in-house naval organization verified that the vessel met all required mission capabilities, paving the way for its delivery in the coming weeks.
It is the third Arleigh Burke ship built in a Flight III configuration, which features the advanced AN/SPY-6(V)1 active electronically scanned array radar and the Aegis Baseline 10 combat system, enhancing the navy’s surface combat capabilities against 21st-century threats.
“The work of the entire DDG 128 team exemplifies our relentless pursuit to achieve this very mission,” said Brian Blanchette, president of Ingalls Shipbuilding.
“Our shipbuilders take great pride in reaching this milestone, which stands as a testament to the teamwork and skill that define our destroyer program at Ingalls.”
Ingalls has delivered 35 Arleigh Burke vessels to date, including the first Flight III, the USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125).
The Pascagoula-based shipyard currently has four more Flight III destroyers under construction: the Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), George M. Neal (DDG 131), Sam Nunn (DDG 133), and Thad Cochran (DDG 135).
The Arleigh Burke Destroyer
The US Navy’s Arleigh Burke system has a hull spanning from 505 to 510 feet (154 to 155 meters) in length, depending on its battle suite upgrades.
It is equipped with three Allison T56 generators, each with an output of 3,400 to 5,400 horsepower, for a top speed of 30 knots (35 miles/56 kilometers per hour) and a range of 4,400 nautical miles (5,063 miles/8,149 kilometers).
The ship is armed with light and heavy machine guns, torpedoes, missiles, naval artillery, decoy countermeasures, and electronic warfare solutions to sustain lethality against multi-domain threats.
An Arleigh Burke can accommodate up to 300 people and carry attack helicopters and small rigid-hull inflatable boats.
