US Navy begins construction of first Flight 3 Burke class destroyer

[F-22Raptor]

PASCAGOULA, Miss. — Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division officially started fabrication of the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyer Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) May 7, the company announced in a release. The start of fabrication signifies the first 100 tons of steel have been cut.

“The start of fabrication on a new destroyer is always exciting,” Ingalls’ DDG 51 program manager George Nungesser said. “DDG 125 is no exception. Our shipbuilders have delivered 30 of these ships to the U.S. Navy and back-to-back building has allowed them to gain experience and talent that is unmatched in our industry. They are eager to use their skillset to incorporate the Navy’s Flight III modifications into DDG 125 and provide the Navy with yet another state-of-the-art ship.”

DDG 125 will be the first “Flight III” ship in the Arleigh Burke- class of destroyers. Flight III will incorporate a new Advanced Missile Defense Radar that will replace the existing SPY-1 radar installed on the previous DDG 51 ships.

The ship is named to honor Capt. Jack H. Lucas, who, at the age of 14, forged his mother’s signature to join the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves during World War II. Lucas, then a private first class in the Marine Corps, turned 17 just five days before the U.S. invasion of Iwo Jima and stowed away on USS Deuel (APA 160) to fight in the campaign.

During a close firefight with Japanese forces, Lucas saved the lives of three fellow Marines when, after two enemy hand-grenades were thrown into a U.S. trench, he placed himself on one grenade while simultaneously pulling the other under his body. One of the grenades did not explode; the other exploded but only injured Lucas.

Lucas is the youngest Marine and the youngest service member in World War II to receive the Medal of Honor.

Jack H. Lucas is the fifth of five Arleigh Burke-class destroyers HII was awarded in June 2013. 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.

Ingalls has delivered 30 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the U.S. Navy. Other destroyers currently under construction at Ingalls include, Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) and Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123).

http://seapowermagazine.org/stories/20180508-lucas.html

 

[F-22Raptor]

The Flight III is a major overhaul of the guided-missile destroyer. It required a 45 percent redesign of the hull, most of which was done to accommodate the AN/SPY-6 and its formidable power needs.

The air and missile defense radar destined for Jack Lucas and its sister follow-on destroyers is 30 times more sensitive than the AN/ SPY-1D radars on the previous ships, additional sensitivity that will supercharge its capabilities in anti-air warfare and ballistic missile defense.

Coupled with ongoing Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program upgrades, the Jack Lucas will also have increased passive capabilities. When used in conjunction with other off-board passive sensors, such as with the F-35 fighter jet, it will be able to triangulate and locate a target without going active and giving away the ship’s position.

The radar is a needed upgrade as the Navy looks to keep ahead of China and Russia, according to Bryan McGrath, a retired destroyer skipper and consultant with The FerryBridge Group.

“Our venerable SPY-1 has served us well for a long time, but the threat has changed and we need a new radar,” McGrath said. “And SPY-6 is that radar. It is a considerable upgrade in all respects. It enables us to track more energetic and smaller objects at further ranges, and that buys you decision time.”

https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2...e-us-navys-arsenal-is-now-under-construction/