Bath Iron Works could produce more Arleigh Burke destroyers following new U.S. certification.

On October 12, 2026, the U.S. Department of War certified General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Maine as capable of constructing an additional Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyer under the FY2027 procurement program. The decision followed a comprehensive assessment evaluating production throughput, schedule adherence, quality assurance, supply chain resilience, and workforce stability. The certification permits the shipyard to expand annual U.S. Navy orders from one to two destroyers, clearing a major hurdle toward securing a second FY2027 contract alongside its existing 11-ship backlog.

On October 12, 2026, the Pentagon certified Bath Iron Works to build an additional Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyer under the FY2027 procurement program, potentially increasing U.S. Navy orders from one to two ships. (Picture source: U.S. Navy)

On October 12, 2026, the U.S. Department of War certified General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) in Maine as capable of building a second Arleigh Burke-class destroyer under the FY2027 procurement program, potentially increasing annual U.S. Navy orders from one to two ships. The decision followed an assessment of production throughput, schedule adherence, quality assurance, supply chains, and workforce organization. The Navy's original FY2027 budget requested one destroyer, the DDG-150, expected to be assigned to Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, compared with two destroyers in FY2026 and three in FY2025. In May 2026, the House Armed Services Committee proposed $500 million in incremental funding authorization for a second Flight III destroyer, as Maine lawmakers opposed leaving BIW without a new FY2027 order.

Bath already has 11 contracted destroyers, seven under construction and four awaiting fabrication, with deliveries scheduled through 2032. The new certification clears the shipyard to accept another order alongside that backlog, but the additional ship still requires congressional funding and a contract award. The proposed destroyer would belong to the Flight III variant, which measures 155.3 m long, displaces 9,900 tonnes at full load, and uses four LM2500 gas turbines producing 105,000 shaft horsepower, providing speeds exceeding 31 knots and a range of 8,149 km at 20 knots. The Flight III's AN/SPY-6(V)1 radar comprises four 4.27 m active electronically scanned arrays, each containing 37 Radar Modular Assemblies, integrated with Aegis Baseline 10. The ship also carries 96 Mk 41 vertical launch cells, divided into 32 forward and 64 aft, accommodating SM-2, SM-3, SM-6, ESSM, Tomahawk, and VL-ASROC missiles.

Related topic: Bath Iron Works starts building new Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyer USS J. William Middendorf

Additional weapons include a 127 mm Mk 45 Mod 4 gun, six lightweight torpedo tubes, and two MH-60R helicopters supported by the AN/SQQ-89 sonar system. Compared with the Flight IIA, the Flight III retains the same missile capacity but increases electrical generation from 9 MW to 12 MW to operate its larger radar and additional cooling equipment. Bath's seven Flight III destroyers under construction are Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG-126), William Charette (DDG-130), Quentin Walsh (DDG-132), John E. Kilmer (DDG-134), Richard G. Lugar (DDG-136), J. William Middendorf (DDG-138), and Thomas G. Kelley (DDG-140). Louis H. Wilson Jr. entered fabrication on March 3, 2020, and was christened in September 2025, while William Charette was christened in August 2026. Quentin Walsh had its keel laid in April 2025, John E. Kilmer on September 10, 2026, and Thomas G. Kelley entered fabrication on May 21, 2026.

Four additional contracted hulls, corresponding to DDG-135, DDG-137, DDG-144, and DDG-148 (the future USS Kyle Carpenter) in the allocated backlog, await construction. The delivery of the USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG-127) on May 28, 2026, completed Bath's final Flight IIA destroyer, leaving its active construction workload entirely concentrated on Flight III ships. Bath's construction times have increased substantially as the Arleigh Burke's complexity increased. The USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) required 692 days between keel laying and delivery, against 1,641 days for the USS John Basilone (DDG-122), a 137% increase. The USS Patrick Gallagher required 90 months from fabrication in November 2018 to delivery in May 2026, while Louis H. Wilson Jr. has remained undelivered for more than 79 months.

Across the wider Arleigh Burke-class program, the average funding-to-delivery interval has increased from five years for ships funded in 2000-2009 to 11 years for more recent destroyers. Flight III delivery delays reached 22 to 58 months in February 2026, compared with 8 to 33 months previously. For 13 follow-on ships, cumulative projected delays increased from 323 to 414 ship-months, averaging 31.8 months per destroyer. These figures cover both Bath and Ingalls, indicating that the delays are not confined to one contractor, and the 11-year procurement interval includes time preceding physical construction. Workforce experience, interruptions to production, and late material deliveries have contributed to these longer construction cycles. Bath employed 6,800 workers in October 2026, but nearly 60% of its personnel had fewer than five years of shipbuilding experience in 2021.

The company planned to recruit 2,000 workers that year and estimated that 500 additional employees would be needed annually to replace retirees and departing personnel. However, inexperienced welders, electricians, and pipefitters require additional supervision, particularly when installation errors force completed work to be reopened. A 63-day strike involving 4,300 workers in 2020 also coincided with COVID-19 disruptions, while marine draftsmen conducted another weeklong strike in 2026. Material availability also deteriorated, with 200 to 300 late items requiring management attention in 2021, compared with earlier periods when overdue orders were negligible. A missing valve can prevent completion of a piping circuit, while a delayed generator or electrical cabinet can postpone installation of surrounding equipment and compartment closure.

By April 2026, voluntary employee attrition had fallen below 10% annually, improving workforce retention. However, lower turnover does not immediately recover productivity lost through retirements, training requirements, and construction rework. Flight III construction introduces further constraints through its electrical and radar installations. Three 4 MW generators operating at 4,160 V replaced the Flight IIA's three 3 MW, 450 V generators, increasing electrical generating capacity by 33%. The AN/SPY-6(V)1 installation also requires two radar power-conversion modules, three ship-service transformers, five high-efficiency air-conditioning plants, and modified deckhouse structures. Additional cabling, piping, cooling connections, and structural supports increase the work required before compartments can be closed and tested.

Bath's main waterfront facilities and Structural Fabrication Facility in Brunswick must also accommodate steel fabrication, unit assembly, pre-outfitting, hull integration, launch, pier-side installation, and trials for multiple ships simultaneously. Delayed components can consequently obstruct subsequent hull sections and extend waterfront occupancy. Nearly $1 billion has been invested in infrastructure initiatives across Bath and Ingalls since FY2021, without restoring consistent adherence to delivery schedules. Bath's completed-ship record remains below its estimated production capacity. The shipyard delivered the USS John Basilone on July 8, 2024, and the USS Patrick Gallagher on May 28, 2026, while completing the initial sea trials of the USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) in 2025, equivalent to 0.72 deliveries annually between January 2024 and October 13, 2026.

Senator Susan Collins estimated in May 2026 that Bath was approaching a production rate of 1.5 destroyers annually, but this has not been demonstrated through completed deliveries. Still, the USS Patrick Gallagher was accepted more than two months ahead of its revised schedule after accelerated mechanical, electrical, and combat system trials, despite requiring 7.5 years from fabrication to delivery. At a sustained output of 1.5 ships annually, completing 11 Arleigh Burke destroyers would represent 7.3 years of deliveries, assuming no additional orders. An additional FY2027 contract would therefore support continuity of fabrication and supplier orders, but increasing fleet strength depends on reducing construction time and raising the frequency of completed deliveries.

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Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.