US Navy's destroyer USS Jack H. Lucas sails away from Ingalls.

According to information published by the US DoD on September 29, 2023, the Navy's latest guided missile destroyer, the future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), embarked on its maiden voyage from the Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding Division yard.
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Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Jack H. Lucas. (Picture source: US DoD)

The vessel is slated for commissioning in Tampa, Florida, on October 7, 2023, after which it will set sail for its home base in San Diego.

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are versatile vessels, equipped to engage targets across various domains—land, sea, air, and underwater. Notably, the Flight III design incorporates the state-of-the-art AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar, which augments the ship's combat capabilities.

Huntington Ingalls Industries is concurrently working on other destroyers, including the future Ted Stevens (DDG 128), Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), George M. Neal (DDG 131), and Sam Nunn (DDG 133).

AN/SPY-6(V)1

The AN/SPY-6 radar system is designed using Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology. AESA radar systems electronically steer multiple beams, providing detailed flexibility and accuracy.

The primary function of the AN/SPY-6 is in the S-band, facilitating volume searches, tracking, ballistic missile defense discrimination, and missile communication.

Its X-band radar component is designed for horizon searches, precision tracking, and target terminal illumination. Integration between these functionalities is managed by the Radar Suite Controller (RSC).

The system is modular, consisting of Radar Modular Assemblies (RMA) that are individual self-contained radar modules. This modular design aids in both maintenance and potential system upgrades.

One of the notable technical features of the AN/SPY-6 is its use of gallium nitride (GaN) in its transmit-receive modules, a departure from the earlier gallium arsenide radar modules. As a result, while the AN/SPY-6 uses twice the electrical power of its predecessor, it generates more than 35 times the radar power.