The first Arleigh Burke Flight III-class destroyer left Ingalls shipyard ahead of commissioning - USS Jack H. Lucas received two vertical launch systems for Tomahawk cruise missiles

HII announced that the destroyer USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) left Ingalls Shipyard this week. It will be commissioned in a few days.

Here's What We Know

Ingalls has already delivered 35 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the US Navy. The company is now building four more Flight III ships: Ted Stevens (DDG 128), Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), George M. Neal (DDG 131) and Sam Nunn (DDG 133).

Flight III destroyers include a number of design modifications that are intended to provide improved capabilities. USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) is the first Flight III level ship and the 75th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer overall. It has an AN/SPY-6(V)1 missile defence radar and the Aegis Baseline 10 combat system.

USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) is equipped with two 96-cell vertical launch systems. The ship will be able to launch RIM-156, RIM-174A, RIM-161 and RIM-162 missiles to counter air threats. The destroyer will receive Tomahawk cruise missiles for strikes.

The ship is 155.3 metres long and 20 metres wide. The maximum speed is 57 kilometres per hour. There is space for two Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopters on board the destroyer.

The commissioning ceremony for USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) will take place on 7 October 2023 in Tampa, Florida. The Arleigh Burke Flight III-class destroyer will then depart for its permanent deployment base in San Diego.

Source: HII