U.S. Navy Receives Future Destroyer DDG 124 to Expand Arleigh Burke-Class Fleet Capabilities.

The U.S. Navy has taken delivery of the future USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr., a Flight IIA Technology Insertion destroyer built by Bath Iron Works. The ship enhances the service's surface warfare capacity and enters final preparations before entering operational duty.

The U.S. Navy confirmed it has accepted delivery of the future USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124), a new Arleigh Burke-class destroyer handed over by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works on November 17, 2025. Naval officials described the ship as a significant upgrade within the long-running class, noting that its Technology Insertion configuration brings improved sensors, combat systems, and power distribution architecture. With delivery complete, the vessel shifts into its final pre-commissioning stage, a period that includes crew training, systems certification, and baseline readiness checks before joining the operational fleet.
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The future U.S. Navy USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124), a Flight IIA Technology Insertion Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, underway during acceptance trials prior to delivery to the U.S. Navy, showcasing its Aegis combat system radar arrays and advanced multi-mission configuration. (Picture source: U.S. Navy)

The USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) belongs to a specialized sub-variant of the Arleigh Burke-class known as Flight IIA Technology Insertion, bridging the gap between the original Flight IIA ships and the more recently introduced Flight III platforms. While maintaining the core combat architecture that defines the Arleigh Burke lineage, this iteration includes enhanced electrical power generation, upgraded air and missile defense systems, and a modernized combat systems suite to counter increasingly complex multi-domain threats.

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet, with over 70 ships commissioned since the class first entered service in 1991. Built around the Aegis Combat System and the SPY-1D radar in early variants, the Flight IIA ships introduced critical structural and systems improvements over their predecessors, including a helicopter hangar to support MH-60R and MH-60S operations, an extended hull form, and expanded vertical launch capabilities.

The Flight IIA destroyers are optimized for full-spectrum warfare, combining advanced radar systems, sonar arrays, and electronic warfare capabilities with a high-density missile payload. Each ship is equipped with 96 Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells, capable of firing Standard Missiles (SM-2, SM-3, SM-6), Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, and ASROC anti-submarine weapons. In addition, the class integrates Mk 45 5-inch naval guns, Phalanx close-in weapon systems (CIWS), Harpoon anti-ship missiles (on select hulls), and torpedo launchers, giving it the flexibility to operate in high-intensity conflict or peacetime deterrence missions.

Flight IIA Technology Insertion destroyers, such as DDG 124, incorporate several hardware and software modifications to accommodate the combat systems architecture of Flight III ships. This includes upgraded computing infrastructure to host Aegis Baseline 9C, which enables integrated air and missile defense, including simultaneous ballistic missile defense and traditional air warfare functions. The propulsion system remains based on the reliable LM2500 gas turbines in a combined gas and gas (COGAG) configuration, delivering speeds over 30 knots with extended operational range.

The delivery of DDG 124 reinforces the U.S. Navy’s commitment to maintaining high-end naval forces capable of forward presence, sea control, and power projection. It also sustains the industrial base at a time when global maritime competition continues to escalate, particularly in the Indo-Pacific and Arctic regions. Seven additional destroyers are under construction at Bath Iron Works, including DDG 126 through DDG 138, reflecting a stable production line and long-term investment in surface combatants.

As an Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA destroyer, DDG 124 will serve for decades as a multi-role combatant, capable of leading surface action groups, operating independently in contested zones, or integrating seamlessly within carrier strike groups. Its flexible mission profile and survivability make it a central element in the Navy's distributed maritime operations strategy, ensuring dominance across air, surface, subsurface, and strike domains.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.