The US Navy has awarded Bath Iron Works and HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding contracts for work on the next-generation guided missile destroyer (DDG(X)) preliminary design and contract design.
DDG(X) will be the next generation large surface combatant for the US Navy, and is being designed by a Navy-industry collaborative team consisting of the Navy and both large surface combatant shipbuilders.
The Navy did not disclose the value of the contracts, saying only that the work is expected to be completed by July 2023. If all options are exercised, work will continue through July 2028 for each respective contract.
DDG(X) is aimed at replacing the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers currently in service. As previously stated by the Navy, the program is poised to provide increased missile capacity, sensor growth, longer range offensive anti-surface and strike capabilities, high power directed energy weapons (e.g. lasers), and increased survivability.
The service has also revealed that the next-generation destroyer could use the combat system fielded on Flight III Arleigh Burke destroyers and the propulsion system used for the Zumwalt-class destroyers. It would also use the Columbia program Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) process to help
inform early relationship and industry involvement.
BIW and HII were integrated into the DDG(X) team in March 2021 to support concept refinement and decision-making early in the process.
“Bath Iron Works is eager to bring our cutting edge engineering and design expertise, now applied to the DDG 51 program, to the next generation of large surface combatants,” said Bath Iron Works president Chuck Krugh. “The opportunity to work alongside HII and our industry partners to meet the Navy’s needs for capability, schedule and cost will result in synergies that build on other extremely successful Navy construction programs.”
“We are excited to continue on this path with our Navy and industry partners,” Ingalls Shipbuilding president Kari Wilkinson said. “It provides us a tremendous opportunity to bring best practices and innovation from our experienced engineering team to the design of this important future surface combatant.”
