Pentagon Chief Unveils Plans to Buy More High-end Ships

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Wednesday mapped out plans for the U.S. Navy to buy more high-end submarines, destroyers, fighter jets and unmanned underwater vehicles using $8 billion in savings generated by scaling back orders for smaller Littoral Combat Ships.

Carter said the Pentagon's five-year budget plan also included $2.9 billion to modify Raytheon Co's SM-6 missiles for use as powerful anti-ship weapons, and buy 625 more of the weapons, which are now used for missile defense.

He said the Navy planned to buy nine Virginia-class submarines built by Huntington Ingalls and General Dynamics Corp and 10 DDG-51 destroyers over the next five years. He said the Navy's budget would fund 13 more Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets and 16 more Boeing Co F/A-18E/F fighters than planned over the same period.