Because Of U.S. Navy Destroyer Delays The Pentagon May Have No Choice But To Buy More Of Its Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyers

David Axe, National Interest: U.S. Navy Destroyer Delays Could Mean More Copies of Older Ships

Problem?

The U.S. Navy might not have any choice but to buy more of its venerable Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. It’s a risky proposition.

Delays in designing a new large surface combatant, or LSC, could compel the fleet to develop yet another version of the Burke, which has been in production in a succession of increasingly capable -- and heavy -- variants since the late 1980s.

Budgetary pressure and uncertainty about the LSC’s design “are forcing the service to think about what the Arleigh Burke program will look like beyond the current multi-year contract for the Flight III configuration,” USNI News reporter Megan Eckstein reported, citing the Navy’s program executive officer for ships, Rear Adm. Bill Galinis.

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Update: Navy Considering More Advanced Burke Destroyers as Large Surface Combatant Timeline Slips (USNI News)

WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction. The U.S. Navy will be buying copies of the older destroyers.