ARLEIGH BURKE CLASS

"There is more firepower per ton of ship here than on any other ship in the world", says Commander John G Morgan about the Arleigh Burke guided missiles destroyer. Its radar guided Tomahawk anti-ship missiles have a range of 250 km, and its Tomahawk land attack-missiles a range of 2,500 km. With vital areas protected by two layers of steel and 70 tons of Kevlar armour, this "pocket-battleship"-style destroyer is the first US Navy class to be fitted out with anti-NBC warfare protection.

The first Arleigh Burke Class guided missiles destroyers were authorised for construction in the 1985 financial year budget, and the last two in FY1994. Contracts for the destroyers have been split between the Litton subsidiary Ingalls Shipbuilding, based in Pascagoula, Mississippi and the General Dynamics subsidiary, Bath Iron Works, based in Maine. Likely to be the most numerous ships in the US fleet after the year 2000, the first 21 ships (DDG51-DDG71) are categorised as Flight I; and the remaining seven (DDG72-DDG78) as Flight II. (The following details relate to Flight II destroyers.)

Revised Arleigh Burke Class Flight IIA ships, unlisted here, will go into production in 1997. From about 2010, the Arleigh Burke destroyers and Ticonderoga cruisers equipped with the Aegis anti-air defence system may eventually be supplemented or replaced by a multi-mission vessel known as the SC-21. With an undeclared displacement, this future ship is likely to incorporate many of the features and innovations of the Aegis fleet.


DESIGN

With a design drawn from the lessons of the cruiser Belknap’s collision with a carrier, the Falklands war, and the Exocet attack on the guided missile frigate Stark, the entire ship (except the two aluminium funnels) is constructed from steel. There is a platform for re-arming and re-fuelling a LAMPS III SH-60B/F helicopter (with ASW capabilities), but without hangers, the ship is unable to house a helicopter of its own.

The design incorporates anti-NBC warfare double air-locked hatches, anti-contaminant interior pressurisation, and reduced access to weather-decks. Fire-control measures included larger foam tanks with quicker access, salt-water sprinklers in the berthing areas, and fresh-water sprinklers in CIC areas. The ship’s design incorporates stealth features such as angles and rounded corners to reduce radar signature. The operations room has been relocated below the waterline.





The Arleigh Burke Class Aegis guided missile destroyers are smaller, more stable and faster than the Ticonderoga Class Aegis guided missile cruisers, being 19 metres shorter, 433 tons lighter and 2 knots faster. Flight II ships have a full load displacement of 9,033 tons, and dimensions of 153.8 metres overall length (142m x 20.4m x 6.3m; 9.9m sonar). With a maximum speed of 30 knots, the ships have a range of 4,400 nautical miles at 20 knots. They carry a complement of 303 (with 23 officers), and 38 spare.



MAIN PROPULSION

They are driven by four GE LM 2500 gas-turbines each rated at 33,600 HP with a power turbine speed of 3,600 rpm; two shafts, with controllable pitch propellers.


WEAPONS AND SENSORS

The ships are armed with 56 GDC/Hughes Tomahawk cruise missiles, with a combination of land-attack missiles with a Tercom Aided Navigation System, and anti-ship missiles with inertial guidance (nuclear warheads are not usually carried). The SDC-standard SM-2MR Block 4 surface-to-air missiles with command/inertial guidance remain at the centre of the Aegis system. There are also eight McDonnell Douglas harpoons; 2 Martin Marietta Mk-4 vertical launch systems; and Loral ASROC VLA anti/submarine systems with inertial guidance.

There is one FMC/UDLP 127 mm/54 Mk-45 Mod-1 or -2 gun, two GE/General Dynamics 20mm Vulcan Phalanx 6-barrelled Mk-15 guns, and 6-324mm Mk-32 Mod-14 (2 triple) torpedo tubes. Decoys include 2 Loral Hycor SRBOC 6-barrelled fixed Mk-26 Mod-12 decoys, chaff, IR flares and torpedo decoys, jammers and deception systems.


The combat data systems include NTDS Mod-5 with Links 4A, 11, 14 and 16, Satcom SRR-1, WSC-3, USC-38, SQQ-28, and Tadix B Tactical Information Exchange System. The weapons control systems include a SWG-Tomahawk weapon control system, SWG-1A

Harpoon launch control system, Aegis multi-target tracking with Mk-99 Mod-3 missile fire control system, GWS34 Mod-0 gun fire control system with computing system and electro-optic sight, and the anti-submarine Singer Librascope Mk-116 Mod-7 fire control system.

Surface search radar is a Norden SPS-67(V)3, G-Band; air search/fire control radar a RCA SPY-ID phased array 3D, E/F-Band radar, a Raytheon SPS-64(V)9, I-Band radar for navigation; three Raytheon/RCA SPG-62, I/J-Band radars for fire control; and a URN25 Tacan. Sonars are Gould/Raytheon/GE SQQ-98(V)6.


HULLS

Arleigh Burke DDG51 (commissioned July 1991), Barry DDG52 (Dec 1992), John Paul Jones DDG53 (Dec 1993), Curtis Wilbur DDG54 (Mar 1994), Stout DDG55 (Aug 1994), John S McCain DDG56 (Jul 1994), Mitscher DDG57 (Dec 1994), Laboon DDG58 (Mar 1995), Russell DDG59 (May 1995), Paul Hamilton DDG60 (May 1995), Ramage DDG61 (July 1995), Fitzgerald DDG62 (Oct 1995), Stethem DDG63 (Oct 1995), Benfold DDG65 (Mar 1996), Carney DDG64 (Apr 1996), Gonzales DDF66 (Jun 1996), Cole DDG67 (Jun 1996), Milius DDG69 (Aug 1996), The Sullivans DDG68 (Dec 1996), Ross DDG71 (Apr 1997), Hopper DDG70 (May 1997), Mahan DDG72 (Oct 1997), Decatur DDG73 (Feb 1998), McFaul DDG74 (Mar 1998), Donald Cook DDG75 (Aug 1998), Porter DDG78 (Dec 1998), Higgins DDG76 (Jan 1999), O’Kane DDG77 (Aug 1999)