The U.S. Navy’s third Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the future USS Ted Stevens, has passed her second set of sea trials.
Ingalls Shipbuilding, part of HII, announced the new Flight III warship’s days-long recent test programme in the Gulf of Mexico included validating her AN/SPY-6 (V)1 radar system and the Aegis Baseline 10 combat system.
She is expected to be commissioned into active service with the U.S. Navy some time in 2026 and be based at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.
Ingalls Shipbuilding DDG Program Manager Ben Barnett commented. “As we move forward, our focus remains on ensuring that every system is thoroughly tested and fully operational as we progress toward readiness for acceptance trials.”
To date, Ingalls has delivered 35 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the U.S. Navy, including the first Flight III vessel, USS Jack H. Lucas, which was launched in June 2021 and commissioned into service in October 2023.
The future USS Ted Stevens had been launched from the Pascagoula, Mississippi facility, back in August 2023. At present the yard also has four more Flight III destroyers under construction: Jeremiah Denton, George M. Neal, Sam Nunn, and Thad Cochran.
The Flight III destroyers are about 155m long with a displacement of almost 9,500 tons, a crew of about 380 and a top speed of around 31 knots.
They have a total of 96 missile cells featuring the Mk41 vertical launching system and boast a range of surface-to-air, anti-ballistic, surface-attack and anti-submarine missiles. They also boast a five-inch gun turret and two Mk 32 triple-barrel torpedo mounts.
- You can read more details on the HII website