The U.S. Dept. of Defense issued a multi-year contract for General Dynamics Bath Iron Works of three new guided-missile destroyers (DDG 51), with construction to begin in 2023, 2024, and 2026. The contracts include options for engineering change proposals, design budgeting requirements, and post-delivery availabilities on the individual ships over the period of construction.
This contract also includes options for construction of additional DDG 51 class ships, which may be subject to future competition. For that reason, according to the Pentagon, the value of the multiyear contract is considered “source selection sensitive information.”
While neither DoD nor General Dynamics would reveal the value of the award, late last year the Congressional Budget Office estimated the U.S. Navy’s next-generation guided-missile destroyer could cost up to $3.4 billion per vessel.
The current model, Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer – of which there are six currently under construction at Bath Iron Works – is a 505-ft, 8,300-ton vessel used to conduct anti-aircraft warfare, anti-surface warfare, tactical land strikes, and anti-submarine warfare. In addition to carrying the Aegis combat system, the destroyers are armed with multiple and surface-to-air missiles, Tomahawk missiles, anti-submarine rockets, and anti-sub helicopters.
According to a statement by Bath Iron Works president Chuck Krugh: “Flight III destroyers have significant increased capability, and our skilled shipbuilders are committed to producing ships that meet the quality standards that our Navy sailors deserve.”
