The design of the US Navy’s DDG(X) destroyer is riddled with holes

Omar Adan

Global Courant

The US is accelerating development of its next-generation DDG(X) destroyer, a design that will replace the aging Ticonderoga-class cruisers and maximum Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

National Defense Magazine reported this this month that the US Navy had requested $187.4 million in funding for DDG(X) research and development. The report notes that the destroyer’s original design calls for a displacement of 13,500 tons, nearly 40% larger than its Arleigh Burke predecessor.

It also mentions that the DDG(X) will initially have the same weapons as the Arleigh Burke Flight III ships, including the Aegis missile defense system and two 21-cell Rolling Airframe Missile launchers.

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Altman writes that Ticonderoga-class cruisers average 35 years of age and are deteriorating, suffering from cracks and structural problems, aging and support problems, with the considerable cost of repairing the ships outweighing their remaining wartime value.

A Ticonderoga-class cruiser. Photo: Wikimedia Commons / United States Navy

Meanwhile, Caleb Larson notices in a June 2020 article for The National Interest that Arleigh Burke-class destroyers have been maximally improved. Larson notes that the Arleigh Burke’s internal space limitations do not allow for enhanced onboard power generation, meaning that newer communications, radar, directed energy weapons and propulsion systems cannot be installed.

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