The US Navy placed an order for nine new destroyers, with six to be built by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and three by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (GDBIW).
The announcement to procure nine ships was made by the US Department of Defense (DoD) on August 1, 2023, involving the construction of Flight III Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyers by HII and GDBIW.
Huntington Ingalls Industries has secured a contract to construct six DDG 51 destroyers, and the deal includes options for additional ships, as well as engineering, design, and post-delivery efforts.
Under the multi-year contract, HII is expected to deliver one ship in fiscal 2023, one in fiscal 2024, two in fiscal 2025, one in fiscal 2026, and one in fiscal 2027.
“It is a privilege for our shipbuilders to build these ships in service of our Navy,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. “We look forward to the years of stability that this award provides and the opportunity to continue working with our industry partners on this important class of ships.”
To date, HII delivered 35 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the US Navy, with the recent addition of the first Flight III vessel, Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), in June of this year.
Currently, Ingalls has four Flight III destroyers, including Ted Stevens (DDG 128), which is scheduled for christening this month, while Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), George M. Neal (DDG 131), and Sam Nunn (DDG 133) are also in construction.
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works will construct the remaining three of the nine ordered destroyers, with one scheduled for each fiscal year of 2023, 2024, and 2026.
“We appreciate the opportunity to build on our history of providing these highly advanced ships for the US Navy fleet and are honored to do our part to contribute to protecting the nation and our families,” said Chuck Krugh, president of BIW.
“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,” he added.
At GDBIW , six DDG 51 destroyers are presently under production, including John Basilone (DDG 122), Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124), Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127), as well as the Flight III ships Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG 126), William Charette (DDG 130), and Quentin Walsh (DDG 132).
It is worth noting that the Navy did not disclose the value of the orders. This was justified by the fact that both contracts include options for additional ships, with the service hoping it could have the two companies compete for these optional ships.
