Arleigh Burke - class destroyer The " Arleigh Burke " class of guided missile destroyer s ( DDGs ) is the United States Navy ' s first class of destroyer built around the Aegis Combat System and the SPY - 1D multi - function phased array radar . The class is named for Admiral Arleigh Burke , the most famous American destroyer officer of World War II , and later Chief of Naval Operations . The class leader , USS " Arleigh Burke " , was commissioned during Admiral Burke ' s lifetime . They were designed as multi - role destroyers to fit the AAW ( Anti - Aircraft Warfare ) with their powerful Aegis radar and anti - aircraft missiles , ASW ( Anti - submarine warfare ) , with their towed sonar array , anti - submarine rockets , and ASW helicopter , ASUW ( Anti - surface warfare ) with their Harpoon missile launcher , and strategic land strike using their Tomahawk missiles . Some versions of the class no longer have the towed sonar , or Harpoon missile launcher . Their hull and superstructure were designed to have a reduced radar cross section The first ship of the class was commissioned on 4 July 1991 . With the decommissioning of the last , , on 21 September 2005 , the " Arleigh Burke " - class ships became the U . S . Navy ' s only active destroyers ; the class has the longest production run for any postwar U . S . Navy surface combatant . The " Arleigh Burke " class is planned to be the third most numerous class of destroyer to serve in the U . S . Navy , after the and es ; besides the 62 vessels of this class ( comprising 21 of Flight I , 7 of Flight II and 34 of Flight IIA ) in service by 2013 , up to a further 42 ( of Flight III ) have been envisaged . With an overall length of to , displacement ranging from 8 , 315 to 9 , 200 tons , and weaponry including over 90 missiles , the " Arleigh Burke " - class ships are larger and more heavily armed than most previous ships classified as guided missile cruiser s . Characteristics . The " Arleigh Burke " class is among the largest destroyers built in the United States . Only the and es were longer ( 563 ft ) . The " Burke " class are multi - mission ships with a " combination of . . . an advanced anti - submarine warfare system , land attack cruise missiles , ship - to - ship missiles , and advanced anti - aircraft missiles , " The larger ships were constructed on " Spruance " - class hullforms , but are designated as cruiser s due to their radically different mission and weapons systems . The " Burke " class on the other hand were designed with a new , large , water - plane area - hull form characterized by a wide flaring which significantly improves sea - keeping ability . The hull form is designed to permit high speed in high sea states . The " Arleigh Burke " s designers incorporated lessons learned from the " Ticonderoga " - class guided - missile cruisers ; with the " Arleigh Burke " class , the U . S . Navy also returned to all - steel construction . An earlier generation had combined a steel hull with an innovative superstructure made of lighter aluminum to reduce topweight , but the lighter metal proved vulnerable to cracking . Aluminum is also less fire - resistant than steel . A 1975 fire aboard gutted her aluminum superstructure . Battle damage to Royal Navy ships exacerbated by their aluminum superstructures during the 1982 Falklands War supported the decision to use steel . Another lesson from the Falklands War led the navy to protect the ship ' s vital spaces with double - spaced steel armor ( creating a buffer for modern rockets ) , and kevlar spall liners . The " Ticonderoga " - class cruisers were deemed too expensive to continue building and too difficult to further upgrade . The angled rather than traditional vertical surfaces and the tripod mainmast of the " Arleigh Burke " design are stealth techniques , which make the ship more difficult to detect , in particular by anti - ship missiles . A Collective Protection System makes the " Arleigh Burke " class the first U . S . warships designed with an air - filtration system against nuclear , biological and chemical warfare . Their Aegis radar differs from a traditional rotating radar that mechanically rotates 360 degrees for each " sweep " scan of the airspace which allows continual tracking of targets . The system ' s computer control also allows centralization of the previously separate tracking and targeting functions . The system is also resistant to electronic counter - measures . Their standalone Harpoon anti - ship missile launchers give them an anti - ship capability with a range in excess of 64 nm . " The 5 " / 54 caliber Mark 45 gun , in conjunction with the Mark 34 Gun Weapon System , is an anti - ship weapon which can also be used for close - in air contacts or to support forces ashore with Naval Gun - Fire Support ( NGF ) , with a range of up to 20 miles and capable of firing 20 rounds per minute . " The class ' Sparrow missile provide point defense against missiles and aircraft while the Standard Missile provides area anti - aircraft defense , additionally the ship has an electronics warfare suite that provides passive detection and decoy countermeasures . The class ' Light airborne multipurpose system , or LAMPS helicopter system improves the ship ' s capabilities against submarines and surface ships , a helicopter able to serve as a platform to monitor submarines and surface ships , and launch torpedoes and missiles against them , as well as being able to support ground assaults with machine guns and Hellfire anti - armor guided missiles . The helicopters also serve in a utility role , able to perform ship replenishment , search and rescue , medical evacuation , communications relay , and naval gunfire spotting and controlling . " Arleigh Burke " - class destroyers have many combat systems . " Burke " s have the Navy ' s latest anti - submarine combat system with active sonar , a towed sonar array , and anti - submarine rockets . They support strategic land strikes with their VLS launched Tomahawks . They are able to detect anti - ship mines at a range of 1400 yards . So vital has the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System ( BMD ) role of the class become that all ships of the class are being updated with BMD capability . " Burke " production is being restarted in place of additional s . Development . In 1980 , the U . S . Navy initiated design studies with seven contractors . By 1983 the number of competitors had been reduced to three : Bath Iron Works , Todd Shipyards and Ingalls Shipbuilding . On 3 April 1985 Bath Iron Works received a US $ 321 . 9 million contract to build the first of class , . Gibbs & Cox was awarded the contract to be the lead ship design agent . The total cost of the first ship was put at US $ 1 . 1 billion , the other US $ 778 million being for the ship ' s weapons systems . She was laid down by the Bath Iron Works at Bath , Maine , on 6 December 1988 , and launched on 16 September 1989 by Mrs . Arleigh Burke . The Admiral himself was present at her commissioning ceremony on 4 July 1991 , held on the waterfront in downtown Norfolk , Virginia . The " Flight IIA " Arleigh Burke " " ships have several new features , beginning with the . Among the changes are the addition of two hangars for ASW helicopter s , and a new , longer Mark 45 Mod 4 5 - inch / 62 - caliber naval gun ( fitted on and later ships ) . Later Flight IIA ships starting with have a modified funnel design that buries the funnels within the superstructure as a signature - reduction measure . TACTAS towed array sonar was omitted from Flight IIA ships and they also lack Harpoon missile launchers . Ships from DDG - 68 to DDG - 84 have AN / SLQ - 32 antennas that resemble V3 configuration similar to those deployed on s , while the remainder have V2 variants externally resembling those deployed on some s . V3 has an active electronic countermeasures component while V2 is passive only . A number of Flight IIA ships were constructed without a Phalanx CIWS because of the planned Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile , but later the Navy decided to retrofit all IIA ships to carry at least one Phalanx CIWS by 2013 . , , , , and have superstructure differences to accommodate the Remote Mine - hunting System ( RMS ) . Mk 32 torpedo tubes were moved to the missile deck from amidships as well . Modernization . The U . S . Navy has begun a modernization program for the " Arleigh Burke " class aimed at improving the gun systems on the ships in an effort to address congressional concerns over the retirement of the s . This modernization was to include an extension of the range of the 5 - inch ( 127 mm ) guns on the flight I " Arleigh Burke " - class destroyers ( to ) with extended range guided munition s ( ERGMs ) that would have given the guns a range of . However , the ERGM was cancelled in 2008 . The modernization program is designed to provide a comprehensive mid - life upgrade to ensure that the class remains effective . Reduced manning , increased mission effectiveness , and a reduced total cost including construction , maintenance , and operation are the goals of the modernization program . Modernization technologies will be integrated during new construction of DDG - 111 and 112 , then retrofitted into DDG flight I and II ships during in - service overhaul periods . The first phase will update the hull , mechanical , and electrical systems while the second phase will introduce an open architecture computing environment ( OACE ) . The result will be improved capability in both ballistic missile defense ( BMD ) and littoral combat . By 2018 all Burkes homeported in the Western Pacific will have upgraded anti - submarine systems , including the new AN / SQR - 20 Multifunction Towed Array . The Navy is also upgrading the ships ' ability to process data . Beginning with USS " Spruance " , the Navy is installing an internet protocol ( IP ) based data backbone , which enhances the ship ' s ability to handle video . " Spruance " is the first destroyer to be fitted with the Boeing Company ' s gigabit Ethernet data multiplex system ( GEDMS ) . In July 2010 BAE Systems announced that it had been awarded a contract to modernize 11 ships . As of 2013 , the Navy plans to conduct hybrid - electric propulsion tests to determine suitability for powering one of the ship ' s two propellers . This hybrid system , used on the USS " Makin Island " ( LHD - 8 ) and s , uses both diesel - electric propulsion and gas - turbine engines ; the electric motors are capable of speeds of up to 12 knots , greater speeds necessitating use of the gas - turbine engine . If the Navy proceeds with installing hybrid propulsion , it is likely to be progressively retrofitted to existing ships as a part of their mid - life upgrades . The Navy is also studying a " stern flap " that would alter water flow around the hull and anti - corrosion paints may be applied to the hull for greater movement efficiency ; both measures are aimed at reducing operational fuel consumption . New navigational software , the Smart Voyage Planning Software , is to be used to calculate water conditions and other environmental factors in order to maximize the efficiency of a vessel ' s route . Production restarted and further development . The class was scheduled to be replaced by s beginning in 2020 , but an increasing threat from both long - and short - range missiles caused the Navy to restart production of the " Arleigh Burke " - class and consider placing littoral combat mission modules on the new ships . In April 2009 the Navy announced a plan that limited the " Zumwalt " - class to three units while ordering another three " Arleigh Burke " - class ships from both Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding . In December 2009 Northrop Grumman received a $ 170 . 7 million letter contract for DDG - 113 long - lead - time materials . Shipbuilding contracts for DDG - 113 to DDG - 115 were awarded in mid - 2011 for US $ 679 . 6m – $ 783 . 6m ; these do not include government - furnished equipment such as weapons and sensors which will take the average cost of the FY2011 / 12 ships to US $ 1 , 842 . 7m per vessel . DDG - 113 to DDG - 115 will be " restart " ships , similar to previous Flight IIA ships , but including modernization features such as Open Architecture Computing Environment ; DDG - 116 to DDG - 121 will be " Technology Insertion " ships with elements of Flight III , and Flight III proper will start with DDG - 122 . Flight III ships , construction starting in FY2016 in place of the canceled CG ( X ) program , have various design improvements including radar antennas of mid - diameter increased to from the previous . These Air and Missile Defense Radars ( AMDR ) use digital beamforming , instead of the earlier Passive Electronically Scanned Array radars . However , costs for the Flight III ships increased rapidly as expectations and requirements for the program have grown . In particular , this was due to the changing requirements needed to carry the proposed Air and Missile Defense Radar system required for the ships ' ballistic missile defense role . The Government Accountability Office found that the design of the Flight IIIs was based on " a significantly reduced threat environment from other Navy analyses " and that the new ships would be " at best marginally effective " . In spite of the production restart , the Navy is expected to fall short of its requirement for 94 missile - defense - capable destroyer and cruiser platforms starting in FY 2025 and continuing past the end of the 30 - year planning window . While this is a new requirement as of 2011 , and the United States Navy has never had so many large missile - armed surface combatants , the relative success of the Aegis ballistic missile defense system has shifted this national security requirement onto the Navy . The shortfall will arise as older platforms that have been refitted to be missile - defense - capable ( particularly the cruisers ) are retired in bulk before new destroyers are planned to be built . The Navy is considering extending the acquisition of " Arleigh Burke " - class destroyers into the 2040s , according to revised procurement tables sent to Congress , which have the Navy procuring Flight IV ships from 2032 through 2041 . Operational history . " Arleigh Burke " - class destroyer was damaged on 12 October 2000 in Aden , Yemen while docked , by an attack in which an apparently shaped charge of 200 – 300 kg in a boat was placed against the hull and detonated by suicide bombers , killing 17 crew members . The ship was repaired , and returned to duty in 2001 . In October 2011 it was announced that four " Arleigh Burke " - class destroyers would be forward - deployed in Europe to support the NATO missile defence system . The ships , to be based at Naval Station Rota , Spain , were named in February 2012 , as " Ross " , " Donald Cook " , " Porter " and " Carney " . By reducing travel times to station , this forward deployment will allow for six other destroyers to be shifted from the Atlantic in support of the Pivot to East Asia . Ships in class . USS " Michael Murphy " was originally intended to be the last of the " Arleigh Burke " class . However with reduction of the production , the Navy requested new DDG - 51 - class ships . Long - lead materials contracts were awarded to Northrop Grumman in December 2009 for DDG - 113 and in April 2010 for DDG - 114 . General Dynamics received a long - lead materials contract for DDG - 115 in February 2010 . It is anticipated that in FY2012 or FY2013 , the Navy will commence detailed work for a Flight III design and request 24 ships to be built from 2016 to 2031 . In May 2013 , a total of 77 " Burke " - class ships was planned . The Flight III variant is in the design phase as of 2013 . In June 2013 , the US Navy awarded $ 6 . 2 billion in destroyer contracts . Up to 42 Flight III ships are expected to be procured by the Navy with the first ship entering service in 2023 . Foreign interest . In May 2011 Saudi Arabia received a price estimate for the purchase of " Arleigh Burke " - class destroyers .