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Aegis News

18 Dec 2023

Ingalls Authenticates Keel of Destroyer George M. Neal (DDG 131)

Ingalls Structural Welder Morris Johnson welds the initials of Kelley Neal Gray onto the keel plate that will be permanently part of George M. Neal (DDG 131). (Photo: HII)

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding has authenticated the keel of the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) guided missile destroyer George M. Neal (DDG 131).George M. Neal (DDG 131) is the fourth Flight III destroyer to be constructed at Ingalls. Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers incorporate a number of design modifications that collectively provide significantly enhanced capability including the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) and the Aegis Baseline 10 Combat System…

09 Oct 2023

USS Jack H Lucas (DDG 125) Commissioned

The Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jack H Lucas (DDG 125) arrives for its commissioning ceremony in Tampa, Florida. This is the first Naval warship to bear the name Jack H Lucas. DDG 125 is the first destroyer built in the Flight III configuration. (U.S. Navy photo by Julie Ann Ripley/Released)

DDG 125 is named for Pfc. Jack Lucas, who served in the U.S. Marines during World War II, earning the Medal of Honor for his heroism at Iwo Jima, when he was just 17 years old. He is the youngest Marine, and the youngest service member in World War II, to be awarded the United States' highest military decoration for valor. In 1961, he returned to military service as a captain in the U.S. Army and trained younger troops headed for Vietnam. Lucas passed away on June 5, 2008, in Hattiesburg…

27 Sep 2023

US Navy Destroyer Jack H. Lucas Departs Ingalls Shipbuilding

(Photo: HII)

The U.S. Navy's first Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) departed HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division Tuesday. DDG 125 will be commissioned October 7, 2023 at a ceremony in Tampa, Fla., before sailing to its homeport in San Diego.“Watching Jack H. Lucas sail away is a proud moment for our entire DDG shipbuilding team,” Ingalls Shipbuilding DDG Program Manager Ben Barnett said. “Our shipbuilders will follow this first Flight III destroyer…

17 Aug 2023

Ingalls Launches Guided Missile Destroyer Ted Stevens (DDG 128)

(Photo: HII)

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss. has launched the U.S. Navy’s third Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Ted Stevens (DDG 128).“The translation and launch are always important milestones for our shipbuilders and the life of a ship,” Ingalls Shipbuilding DDG Program Manager Ben Barnett said. “Our team has put in a tremendous amount of work leading up to the launch, and I am proud to see them bring DDG 128 one step closer to completion.”Prior to launch, DDG 128 was translated from land to the dry dock using translation railcars to support the ship.

02 Aug 2023

HII Inks Deal with Navy for Six Destroyers

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division won a fixed-price incentive, multi-year procurement contract for the construction of six Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyers for the U.S. Navy. Image courtesy HII

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division won a fixed-price incentive, multi-year procurement contract for the construction of six Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyers for the U.S. Navy. The contract includes options for additional DDG 51 ships and for engineering, design and post-delivery efforts. Due to potential competitions for the option ships, the cumulative dollar value of the multi-year contract was not disclosed.Ingalls has delivered 35 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the U.S. Navy including the first Flight III, USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), in June of this year.

24 Jul 2023

The Need for [U.S. Navy Shipbuilding] Speed

The world's largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) steams in the Adriatic Sea, June 23, 2023.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins)

The Navy wants, and needs, more ships; but it can’t build them fast enough.While the U.S. Navy aims to achieve a 355-ship fleet, it is decommissioning older (and some not so old) ships at about the same rate it's adding new ones.A Congressional Research Service report stated that, as of April 17, 2023, the Navy included 296 battle force ships. "The Navy projects that under its FY2024 budget submission, the Navy would include 293 battle force ships at the end of FY2024 and 291 battle force ships at the end of FY2028."But there is progress…

10 Jul 2023

Hairston Named GM of Austal USA Advanced Technologies

Don Hairston (Photo: Austal USA Advanced Technologies)

Don Hairston has been named General Manager of Austal USA Advanced Technologies in Charlottesville, Va. Hairston comes to Austal from L3Harris Technologies where he was vice president and general manager of the C5 Systems Division. He was responsible for leading a $400 million organization that designs and delivers unmanned surface vessels, integrated C5ISR, and maritime controls and cyber solutions to support, defend and protect critical national assets and infrastructure.In…

30 Jun 2023

Ingalls Delivers Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125)

Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) (Photo: HII)

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division delivered the first Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), to the U.S. Navy on Tuesday. Delivery of DDG 125 represents the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder to the Navy.“Delivering the first Flight III ship reflects the relentless efforts of our shipbuilders and those of our Navy and supplier partners,” said Kari Wilkinson, president of Ingalls Shipbuilding. “We are committed to maintaining…

19 May 2023

Future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) Completes Acceptance Trials

U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer the future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) (Photo: HII)

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss. announced Friday the completion of acceptance trials for Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer the future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125).Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) is the first Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer being built for the U.S. Navy by Ingalls and incorporates a number of design modifications that collectively provide significantly enhanced capability. DDG 125 contains a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.

09 Feb 2023

The U.S. Navy Needs More Ships, Encourages Industry to "Pick up the Pace"

Bryce Woolston cleans up welds on the Virginia-class attack submarine USS Delaware (SSN 791) at HII Newport News Shipbuilding. (HII photo by Chris Oxley)

The demand for warships is strong, and the Navy continues to receive support from the Congress to build more ships. The Navy is working to achieve a fleet of about 355 ships, plus a fleet of about 150 unmanned vesselsBut to achieve something close to that goal requires more than demand, and even more than money. For one thing, it requires an industrial base that can build, repair and sustain that fleet.While Navy leadership acknowledges the challenges of a stressed supply chain…

26 Jan 2023

US Navy Accepts Delivery of Future USS Carl Levin

(Photo: U.S. Navy)

The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of the future guided missile destroyer USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120) from General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Jan. 26.Delivery represents the official transfer of the ship from the shipbuilder to the Navy. Prior to delivery, the ship conducted a series of at-sea and pier-side trials to demonstrate its materiel and operational readiness.“Delivery of this ship will provide critical capacity to our surface fleet today and well into the future,” said Capt. Seth Miller, DDG 51 program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships.

06 Jan 2023

What’s Next for Eastern Shipbuilding?

(Credit: Eastern Shipbuilding Group)

When Hurricane Michael slammed the Florida Panhandle in October 2018, the deadly category 5 storm inflicted billions in damages to the region, tearing apart homes and businesses in its path. Among those severely impacted was Eastern Shipbuilding Group, which suffered a nearly direct hit at its Allanton shipyard, located about 15 miles east of the company’s headquarters and main yard in Panama City.Eastern, which had been scheduled to begin building the first of up to 11 Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPC) for the U.S.

21 Dec 2022

Great Ships '22: USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125)

The guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) fires a Standard Missile 2 missile from the ship's forward and aft missile decks during a missile exercise. Mustin is one of seven guided missile destroyers assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15 and is forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Devon Dow/Released)

The Arleigh Burke-class Guided Missile Destroyer - The world’s most successful post-war surface combatantsThe USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) class of guided missile destroyers can rightfully be called the most successful class of surface combatants in the post-World War II era. The lead ship was commissioned in 1991, and the Navy is still building them at Huntington Ingalls Industries Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. A total of 89 have been procured through FY2022…

15 Dec 2022

Future USS Carl Levin Completes Acceptance Trials

The future USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120) (Photo: Bath Iron Works)

The future USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120) completed acceptance trials on December 9, returning to General Dynamics Corp’s Bath Iron Works (BIW) Bath shipyard after spending two days at sea.During acceptance trials, the ship and its crew performed a series of demonstrations for review by the U.S. Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV). These demonstrations are used by INSURV to validate the quality of construction and compliance with Navy specifications and requirements prior to delivery of the ship to the U.S. Navy.

25 Oct 2022

Two Koreas Exchange Warning Shots Near Sea Border

© Igor Groshev / Adobe Stock

North and South Korea exchanged warning shots off the west coast on Monday, accusing each other of breaching their maritime borders amid heightened military tension.The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it broadcast warnings and fired warning shots to see off a North Korean merchant vessel that crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto sea boundary, at around 3:40 a.m. (1840 GMT Sunday).The North's military said it fired 10 rocket artillery rounds after a South…

13 Sep 2022

Back to the Drawing Board: Pondering Truths in Design

“The great liability of the engineer compared to men of other professions is that his works are out in the open where all can see them. His acts, step by step, are in hard substance. He cannot bury his mistakes in the grave like the doctors. He cannot argue them into thin air or blame the judge like the lawyers. He cannot, like the architects, cover his failures with trees and vines. He cannot, like the politicians, screen his shortcomings by blaming his opponents and hope that the people will f

In producing a column for the Marine Design issue, I considered a number of subjects, but in starting to write about them, somehow my mind connected to “Beam is Cheap.” I have a faint memory of being made aware of this during a discussion of a ship design by a design luminary very early in my career, but I don’t remember who it was.When first putting pencil to paper on some design, I always think about that when I make my first rough sketch. It is a very powerful truism, and over…

28 Mar 2022

US Navy Destroyer Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) Christened

Foreground: Catherin B. Reynolds, left, and Ruby Lucas officially christen Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125). Observing in the background, (from left) Kari Wilkinson, Ingalls Shipbuilding president; U.S. Navy Adm. Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations; and U.S. Navy Capt. Brett Oster, DDG 125 prospective commanding officer. (Photo: Robert Hebert / HII)

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) christened pre-commissioning unit Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) at the company’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss.The new 513-foot-long Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is the first of the Flight III variants and 75th overall in the class. It is expected to be commissioned in 2023.Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission ships and can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of the United States military strategy.

18 Mar 2022

Fincantieri Delivers Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Ship to Italian Navy

(Photo: Fincantieri)

Fincantieri’s shipyard in Muggiano on Friday delivered Paolo Thaon di Revel, the first of seven new Multipurpose Offshore Patrol ships (PPA – Pattugliatore Polivalente d’Altura) for the Italian Navy.The 143-meter-long PPAs are built at the Integrated Shipyard of Riva Trigoso and Muggiano, with deliveries expected until 2026. They are part of the renewal plan of the operational lines of the Italian Navy vessels, approved by the Government and Parliament and started in May 2015 (“Naval Act”) under the aegis of OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation sur l’Armement…

16 Feb 2022

Shipbuilding: Fincantieri Marine Group Invests Mightily to Deliver for the US Navy

Fincantieri Marinette Marine rendering with completed construction and FFG-62 on shiplift. Photo courtesy FMG

When he served as the commander of NWSC Carderock, Mark Vandroff woke every morning knowing that his counterpart in China had just gone to bed and had spent that day trying to make China’s Navy superior. His job, he figured, was to “get cracking and work to make our Navy even better.” Now the CEO at Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), Vandroff brings that passion for navy shipbuilding – and delivering on the new USN Constellation-class frigates contract – to work every day.Introducing a new class of warship usually comes with a heaping helping of pain, from cost overruns to technical glitches.

11 Feb 2022

U.S. Navy: DDG(X) is a Large Surface Combatant with Room to Grow

The future guided-missile destroyer Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) is launched, June 4, 2021, at Huntington Ingalls Industries, Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss. Jack H. Lucas is the first Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer to be built in the Flight III configuration. The Flight III upgrade is centered on the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and incorporates upgrades that provide enhanced warfighting capability. The Flight III baseline begins with DDG 125 and will c

“DDG-51 hull form is maxed out in nearly every mission area. Meanwhile, the threat marches on.”Rear Adm. Paul Schlise, director for surface warfareThe U.S. Navy’s highly successful USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) surface combatant program is still going strong and growing in capability. Nearly 40 years later, new ships are still being built. But, the navy said, the ship cannot support the systems of tomorrow needed to meet the future threat.“DDG 51 has been in production for over 40 years with basically the same hull we started with in 1985…

13 Jan 2022

Course Correction for DDG 1000, Navy Will Replace Main Battery for Guided Missile Destroyer

The Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) leads a formation including the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), USS Spruance (DDG 111), USS Pinckney (91), and USS Kidd (DDG 100), and the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) during U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Unmanned Systems Integrated Battle Problem (UxS IBP) 21, April 21. UxS IBP 21 integrates manned and unmanned capabilities into challenging operational scenar

The U.S. Navy’s controversial USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) class of guided missile destroyers raises the legitimate question of whether a ship is too transformational, or not transformational enough.While the Navy Fact File states that DDG 1000 is the “largest and most technologically advanced surface combatant in the world,” it’s a program that has been in existence for many years. It began as the SC-21 (Surface Combatant for the 21st century) research and development program in 1994, which included the “arsenal ship” concept.

12 Jan 2022

Ingalls Begins Combat System Tests on Destroyer Jack H. Lucas

Ingalls Shipbuilding electrician Joe Ditsworth and electrical foreman Lisa Avery initiate light-off of the Aegis Combat System aboard Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) in the ship’s combat information center. (Photo: HII)

America' largest military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) on Wednesday announced its Ingalls Shipbuilding division recently achieved the Aegis light-off milestone on the Navy’s first Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), marking the start of combat system testing as shipbuilders ready the ship for propulsion tests and eventually sea trials.“I am again very proud of our DDG 51 team and the work they have done,” said Kari Wilkinson, Ingalls Shipbuilding president.

11 Nov 2021

U.S. Navy: Constellation-class Brings Frigates Back to the U.S. Fleet

Artist’s concept of the new Constellation class of guided missile frigates.  (Fincantieri Marinette Marine)

Introducing a new class of warship can be fraught with pain, and the first ship is always the hardest – almost always behind schedule and over budget. And trying something new and transformational is even harder.The U.S. Navy knows this from experience. That’s one reason why the Navy is opting for a lower risk design for its next class of guided missile frigates (FFGs).Just about every new class has experienced a rough start. Although the USS Arleigh Burke-class of guided missile destroyers (DDGs) today represent the largest and most successful class of warships…