Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyers

Book excerpt: New expanded edition. Currently the most capable and sophisticated destroyer class in the world, the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers had their beginnings in the mid-1970s, the result of a Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) research project. In the years following the Vietnam War, cost and size constraints were dominant factors motivating the design process. The new ship had to be effective as an anti-submarine escort for the carrier battle groups, but also able to engage and neutralize airborne threats. The new ship was also intended to replace older ships of several classes due for replacement. Chapters include: The need for Arleigh Burke, Flights of Ships, Ships of Flight, DDG-51 Class Operational Notes, Overhaul and Refit Periods, Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS), Operation Tomodaci and Odyssey Dawn, Shipboard Electronics, Aegis Fire Control Illuminator AS-3444, SLQ-32 ECM Antenna Array, Radars, Data-Links, and SRS-1 Combat DF.