Special Report: US Navy DDG upgrades continue despite budget and testing concerns

The first Flight III US Navy destroyer, USS Jack H Lucas , pictured here, is in post-shakedown availability. (HII)

As the US Navy (USN) moves to modernise and augment its guided-missile destroyer (DDG) fleet, the service is dealing with budget and testing concerns for the ships, as well as the updated systems and equipment slated for the vessels.

The USN is building new Flight III Arleigh Burke DDG 51s outfitted with technology advancements such as the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) suite and the AN/SLQ-32(V)6 Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 2 for electronic support.

At the same time, the USN is retrofitting its Flight IIA ships with SEWIP and an AMDR variant, AN/SPY-6(V)4, meant to provide these older vessels “Flight III-like capabilities”, noted Captain Tim Moore, programme manager, Destroyer Modernization 2.0, at a 15 January Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) briefing during the Surface Navy Association National Symposium 2025.

The AN/SPY-6(V)1 uses four fixed-antenna assemblies with each antenna having 37 radar modular assemblies (RMAs). The AN/SPY-6(V)4 will use four fixed-antenna faces, with each antenna face having 24 RMAs.

“We are bridging the gap between the legacy ships and the Flight IIIs,” Capt Moore said.

However, while USN officials maintain that both efforts are tracking well, they have acknowledged some speed bumps. A Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) report, released on 31 January, noted testing issues with both and the new systems associated with them.