US Navy Expands Arleigh Burke Program with New DDG 51 Contract to Strengthen Fleet Readiness.

On July 31, 2025, the U.S. Navy confirmed the award of a new contract to General Dynamics Bath Iron Works for the construction of an additional Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. This decision follows the exercise of an option included in the multi-year procurement agreement signed in 2023 and reflects the Pentagon’s continued investment in this surface combatant program. The announcement was officially released by General Dynamics on August 1, 2025, in a press statement issued from Bath, Maine.
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Arleigh Burke-class destroyers form the core of the US surface combat fleet (Picture source: General Dynamics)

General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, one of the two main U.S. shipyards responsible for producing DDG 51 destroyers, welcomed the decision. According to company president Charles F. Krugh, the firm is continuing its work on U.S. Navy destroyers while focusing on improving industrial processes to meet scheduled delivery timelines. He also emphasized that efforts are underway to reduce accumulated delays in the shipyard’s production cycle. Krugh noted that the additional destroyer was included in the Fiscal Year 2025 Defense Appropriations Bill by Congressional representatives, acknowledging the role played by legislative support in sustaining naval shipbuilding programs.

Bath Iron Works is currently building two Flight IIA destroyers, Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) and Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127), as well as five Flight III variants: Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG 126), William Charette (DDG 130), Quentin Walsh (DDG 132), John E. Kilmer (DDG 134), and Richard G. Lugar (DDG 136). These ships incorporate updated systems, including the SPY-6 radar and Aegis Baseline 10 combat suite, and are intended to operate in increasingly contested maritime environments.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers form the core of the U.S. surface combat fleet. Their modular design, upgraded over successive variants (Flight I through Flight III), enables them to conduct a wide range of missions including air defense, land attack, anti-submarine warfare, and strike group escort. Measuring over 155 meters in length and displacing up to 9,900 tons in the latest version, they are powered by four LM2500 gas turbines and reach speeds over 30 knots, with a range of 4,400 nautical miles at cruising speed.

Their armament includes the Mk 41 vertical launch system with up to 96 cells capable of firing SM-2, SM-3, and SM-6 missiles for air and missile defense, Tomahawk cruise missiles for land attack, ESSM for close-in protection, and ASROC for anti-submarine operations. Additional systems include a 127 mm naval gun, lightweight torpedoes, close-in weapon systems (Phalanx or SeaRAM), and two MH-60R helicopters on Flight IIA and III variants. Defensive features combine structural protection (steel armor, Kevlar liners, NBC protection) with active countermeasures (SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite, Nulka decoys, and electronic countermeasures).

General Dynamics, the parent company of Bath Iron Works, is a global defense and aerospace group operating in shipbuilding, land systems, munitions, business aviation, and defense IT services. The company employed over 110,000 people worldwide and reported $47.7 billion in revenue for the year 2024.