USS John Finn completes alpha trials
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has completed the first round of sea trials for the USS John Finn (DDG 113), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer being built for the US Navy, the company announced on 2 September.
The 29th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer spent three days in the Gulf of Mexico for the sea trials, where the vessel’s main propulsion system and other ship systems were tested. The alpha trial was the first of three builder’s trials planned for the vessel.
The US Navy requires three sea trials as part of the restart effort on the DDG 51 programme. USS John Finn is the first destroyer that has been built by Ingalls since it delivered USS William P Lawrence (DDG 110) in 2011.
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are multi-mission ships that can serve power projection, sea control, crisis management and peacetime presence roles. They can simultaneously fight surface, air and subsurface battles.
The company is set to prepare DDG 113 for bravo trials later in 2016.
More from Defence Notes
-
US seeks 32% boost for missile defence budget with $23 billion earmarked for interceptors
The Pentagon’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes an impressive increase in the procurement of interceptors, with the number of the US Army’s PAC-3 MSE rounds expanding by 683%, the US Navy’s Standard Missile by 365% and the MDA’s SM-3 IIA by more than 1,000%.
-
US Army partners with Global Military Products to surge munitions production
Global Military Products was selected by the US Army to operate the Quad Cities Cartridge Case Facility and ramp up the production of various calibre shell cases.
-
Growing a digital backbone: an essential capability for the multi-domain battlespace
Future operational superiority will be defined by the ability to connect systems, data and personnel into a wider network. For armed forces, this creates the need for a digital backbone that integrates and enhances sensors and effectors of all kinds.
-
Estonia opts for smart, adaptable and cooperative solutions in the face of Russian threat
Estonian-made equipment is being put through the toughest of evaluations in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers resisting the full-scale Russian invasion which began in 2022. The country has long seen the threat and is continuing to adapt for the future.
-
Estonia boosting defence industry with lessons from Ukraine, says country’s economic minister
Estonia is looking to boost its local defence industry with directed funding, industry parks, support through international orders for equipment and rapid prototyping.
-
UK faces cost of balancing defensive capabilities abroad as Iran conflict widens
The UK has recently deployed a Type 45 destroyer to Cyprus and has bolstered its presence in the Middle East in recent weeks with supporting air power to protect neighbouring countries’ air defences.