US shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries has hosted a keel-laying ceremony for the US Navy’s first Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125).
As the first ship in this configuration, DDG 125 will feature improved capability and capacity to perform anti-air warfare and ballistic missile defense in support of the integrated air and missile defense mission.
The Flight III design contains modifications from the earlier DDG 51 class, to enable the SPY-6 radar, in association with Aegis Baseline 10, which includes larger electronically scanned arrays and the power generation and cooling equipment required to operate the powerful new radar.
The keel-laying ceremony took place at the Huntington Ingalls Shipyard, November 7, but the official start of fabrication began in May 2018.
“This destroyer was named after an American hero, Medal of Honor recipient Jack Lucas, and I am humbled and honored to be here today as we authenticate the keel on his namesake ship,” said Capt. Seth Miller, DDG 51 class program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “The Flight III ships will bring increased lethality and warfighting capacity to our warfighters, and today’s milestone is the first of many to come as we work to deliver this highly capable ship to the Fleet,” he added.
