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Topic: Naval Warfare Blog Brand: The Buzz Region: Americas Tags: Arleigh Burke-class Destroyers, Destroyers, North America, United States, US Navy, and USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128) The US Navy Just Got Another Flight III Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer January 5, 2026 By: Peter Suciu
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The USS Ted Stevens is named for longtime Alaska senator and Navy advocate Ted Stevens—even though Stevens actually served in the US Army Air Corps.
The United States Navy ended 2025 with one additional Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer in its fleet. Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII’s) Ingalls Shipbuilding delivered the USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128) on Monday, December 29, 2025. The warship is the third Flight III variant, and the 78th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer produced for the US Navy.
“The delivery of Ted Stevens reflects the strong momentum of our destroyer program as we accelerate Flight III production and bring enhanced capabilities to the fleet,” said Brian Blanchette, Ingalls Shipbuilding president. “We are honored to deliver DDG 128 to the Navy knowing that it will stand as a powerful asset in strengthening US maritime security for decades to come.”
The Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer’s Specifications
- Year Introduced: 1991
- Number Built: 74
- Length: 505-510 ft (154–155.5 m), depending on variant
- Beam (Width): 66 ft (20.1 m)
- Displacement: 9,000 tons
- Engines: Four General Electric LM2500 gas turbines (26,250 bhp each)
- Top Speed: ~30 knots (35 mph, 55.5 km/h)
- Range: ~4,400 nmi (5,100 mi, 8,148 km)
- Armaments: 5-inch Mk 45 gun; Harpoon anti-ship missiles; Aegis Combat System; Mk 45 or 46 torpedoes; Tomahawk cruise missiles (96 VLS cells)
- Crew: 303-323, depending on variant
Why the Arleigh Burke Flight III Upgrades Matter
The Flight III destroyers are the fourth and most significant upgrades to the Arleigh Burke class. Each is equipped with the SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar, the Aegis Baseline 10 combat system, and upgraded generators featuring a new 4,160-volt power grid to support the energy-intensive systems.
The SPY-6(V)1 is the most advanced radar system yet deployed on guided-missile destroyers. It was designed to provide enhanced threat detection and tracking capabilities for the US Navy’s surface combatants. It was developed by RTX subsidiary Raytheon, with support from the Navy and Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). The radar features four array faces, each outfitted with 37 radar modules. That allows for continuous, 360-degree situational awareness.
The first Flight III variant, the USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), was built by Ingalls Shipbuilding and was commissioned in October 2023. The second, the USS Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG-126), is being built by the Bath Iron Works and is expected to be commissioned in early 2027.
Four more Flight III destroyers are being built by Ingalls, with seven more in the early planning and material procurement phases. According to a US Navy estimate, each Flight III costs about $2 billion, which includes the sea service providing about $1 billion in equipment for the ship.
All of the guided-missile destroyers of the Flight III are capable of carrying out a wide range of missions, including anti-air warfare (AAW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and ballistic missile defense.
The USS Ted Stevens Is “Leading with Courage”
The destroyer, whose motto is “Lead with Courage,” is named in honor of the late United States Sen. Ted Stevens, a Second World War combat veteran and the longest-serving Republican senator in U.S. history, who represented the state of Alaska from 1968 until his retirement in 2009.
Senator Stevens wasn’t a “Navy man”—instead serving in the US Army Air Corps, the predecessor to the US Air Force. Still, as a World War II veteran, he served with distinction as a pilot in the China-Burma-India Theater, and was awarded two Air Medals for his service.
Later, in Congress, Stevens was noted for his staunch support of the United States Navy and US Marine Corps—but is probably best known in pop culture for once describing the Internet as “a series of tubes,” a widely-derided phrase that became one of the world’s earliest Internet memes.
The guided-missile destroyer named to honor Ted Stevens will be formally commissioned into the Navy next year in Alaska, likely in May or June.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
Image: Shutterstock / Claudine Van Massenhove.
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Источник: nationalinterest.org