Carol Collins
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division has finished the builder’s trials for an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer for the U.S. Navy.
The Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) ship, named after the first African American aviator and general officer of the U.S. Marine Corps, underwent combat system testing in the Gulf of Mexico for three days, HII said Friday.
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are multimission ships equipped with offensive and defensive weapons intended to support simultaneous air, surface and subsurface battles.
These ships are also designed to perform various operations that span from peacetime presence, crisis management, sea control and power projection.
“Ingalls, Navy AEGIS Test Team, the Navy ship’s force, the program office, numerous combat systems participating acquisition managers, and supervisor of shipbuilding, conversion and repair worked together to ensure a successful builder’s trial,” said John Fillmore, Ingalls’ DDG 51 program manager.
According to the company, it has deployed 32 destroyers to the Navy and is working on the construction of four more.
