The US Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Ted Stevens, a flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, from Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division on Monday, December 29.
As with other Arleigh Burke-class flight III destroyers, the future Ted Stevens will have improved capability and capacity to perform anti-air warfare and ballistic missile defence in support of the integrated air and missile defence mission.
The 78th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is named for the late US Senator Ted Stevens from Alaska. Stevens was the longest-serving Republican US Senator in history at the time he left office and was the third senator to hold the title of president pro tempore emeritus.
Arleigh Burke-class flight III destroyers feature the AN/SPY-6(V)1 air and missile defence radar and incorporate upgrades to the electrical power and cooling capacity plus additional associated changes.
HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division is also in production on Stevens' sister ships the future USS Jeremiah Denton, USS George M. Neal, USS Sam Nunn, and USS Thad Cochran.
