A top U.S. Navy official said that the service’s Arleigh Burke DDG-51 Flight III program remains on track following the completion of the final anti-missile test with the ship, USNI News reported Friday.
Navy program manager Capt. Casey Moton said construction of the ship is on schedule despite past delays due to a series of design changes to integrate the new Raytheon AN/SPY-6 air and missile defense radar. Moton said the radar appeared effective during the last test of the anti-missile capability of the DDG-51.
The Navy already received 66 of the new ships, with the 67th destroyer expected to be delivered in late February. Ten more ships are under construction at shipyards of Ingalls Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works.
Aside from adjustments for the SPY-6 radar, the DDG-51 Flight III also had other modifications to install a new water mist system to replace the old halon gas fire extinguishers in engine spaces.
