US Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Zumwalt
The U.S. Navy has accepted delivery of future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), the lead ship of the Navy's next-generation of multimission surface combatants, May 20. DDG 1000 is tailored for sustained operations in the littorals and land attack, and will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces, and operate as an integral part of joint and combined expeditionary forces. Ship delivery follows extensive tests, trials and demonstrations of the ship's hull…
DDG 1000: The Transformation Begins
“It isn’t everyday we get to sign a contract to begin construction of a lead ship, but on Feb. 14, we met in my office and did exactly that, twice! Not one but two lead DDG 1000 ships will now begin construction,” said Rear Adm. Vic Guillory, the director for Surface Warfare. Two identical lead ships will be built by Bath Iron Works (General Dynamics) and Ingalls (Northrop Grumman). Bath Iron Works will build DDG 1000 and Ingalls will build DDG 1001. Other prime contractors include BAE Systems and Raytheon. Delivery of the lead ship is expected in the late 2012 to early 2013 time frame.
GE Provides Gas Turbines in Korea
GE Transportation is a long-standing equipment supplier to navies in the Asia/Pacific region, such as the Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, People’s Republic of China, India and Indonesia. In fact, 29 navies throughout the world have selected GE’s proven LM aeroderivative gas turbines. In the Asia/Pacific region alone, nine navies use 200 LM gas turbines, primarily for naval marine applications. Currently there are more than 1,200 GE LM2500 gas turbines in marine service worldwide. The engine is rated at 33,600 shp with a thermal efficiency of 37% at ISO conditions. The LM2500 has an outstanding 99.6% availability rate: out of every 10,000 hours of service, engines have required an average of only 40 hours of corrective maintenance.
