“This
will be the 34th Arleigh Burke destroyer built at Ingalls, and we thrive
on this experience,” said George Nungesser, Ingalls' DDG 51 program
manager. “Maintaining the same shipbuilding teams from ship to
ship is paying dividends to our learning curve. The U.S. Navy sailors
manning this future DDG deserve the best quality, and our shipbuilders
will provide that in a way that is the most cost-effective.”
The five-ship contract, part of a multi-year procurement in the DDG
51 program, allows Ingalls to build ships more efficiently by buying
bulk material and moving the skilled workforce from ship to ship. With
this contract, Ingalls will be building destroyers through 2023.
Ingalls has delivered 28 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the Navy.
Destroyers currently under construction at Ingalls are John Finn (DDG
113), Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), Delbert D. Black
(DDG 119) and Frank E. Peterson Jr. (DDG 121).
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission ships
that can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and
crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support
of the United States' military strategy. DDGs are capable of simultaneously
fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains myriad
offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense
needs well into the 21st century. |