US Navy commissions Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer

News, US October 11, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. Navy commissioned its latest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jack H. Lucas on October 7, 2023. It is the first Flight III ship and the most capable warship in this class. The destroyer was built by the leading producer of ships for the U.S. Navy, Huntington-Ingalls Shipbuilding.

It was the 73rd Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer to be commissioned. DDG-125 received its name on Sept. 17, 2016. USS Jack H. Lucas is named for Pfc. Jack Lucas, who served in the U.S. Marines during World War II and earned the Medal of Honor for his heroism at Iwo Jima, the U.S. Navy statement read.

The ship was commissioned at Port Tampa Bay, Berth 150, Tampa, Florida. Under Secretary of the Navy, Erik Raven delivered the commissioning ceremony’s principal address, while remarks were provided by Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command Sgt. Maj. Carlos Ruiz, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Jane Castor, and Mayor of Tampa, Florida.

This Flight III ship is equipped with the latest radar that will allow the ship to simultaneously detect and track cruise missiles and aircraft as well as ballistic missiles. “The USS Jack H. Lucas is the first ship equipped with the SPY-6 radar, and it represents the future of ship self-defense as the Navy is putting the system on every new surface ship in its fleet as well as existing Flight IIA guided missile destroyers,” according to the Raytheon statement.

The SPY-6(V)1 is one of the most advanced naval radars that can detect and track enemy jets, drones, rotorcrafts, and cruise and ballistic missiles while resisting interference, like noise from rough seas.

President of Raytheon Wes Kremer told attendees of the commissioning chairman’s reception, “It is a technological triumph built around our next-generation Air and Missile Defense Radar system, SPY-6, along with connected battlespace capabilities, integrated air and missile defense weapons, strike missiles, torpedo and gun systems. And it is a fitting tribute to Pfc. Jack H. Lucas.”

*^{U.S. Navy’s USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) during acceptance trials, on May 18, 2023. (Image Credit: U.S. Navy)}*

The USS Jack H. Lucas is equipped with modern and state-of-the-art armament, radars, and sensors. On the deck, it has a 5-inch (127 mm)/62 Mk 45 Mod 4 lightweight naval artillery gun, 20 mm Phalanx CIWS automated gun-based close-in weapon system, two 25 mm Mk 38 Machine Gun Systems, and four .50 caliber (12.7 mm) guns.

The ship’s missile canister launching system, Mk 41 Vertical Launching System, allows it to counter threats with rapid-fire launch capability. It can be equipped with RIM-66M and RIM-156 Surface-to-Air Missile, RIM-174A Standard Extended Range Active Missile (ERAM), RIM-161 SM-3 Anti-Ballistic Missile, RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM), BGM-109 Tomahawk Cruise Missile, RUM-139 Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket.

The ship can also carry two Mark 32, Mark 46, Mark 50, and Mark 54 Lightweight Torpedoes. It has Kevlar-type armor with a steel hull, and a double hanger and helipad allow it to carry two MH-60R Seahawk helicopters.

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet. The U.S. Navy statement underlined that “These highly capable, multi-mission ships conduct various operations, from peacetime presence to national security. DDGs provide a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface, and subsurface environments.”