US Navy Exercises Option for Additional Guided-Missile Destroyer from Bath Iron Works

The United States Navy has exercised an option to add an additional DDG 51 Flight III guided-missile destroyer to its fleet, aligning with the 2023 contract awarded to General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. This contract, structured as a fixed-price incentive, originally committed the Maine-based shipbuilder to produce three destroyers between fiscal years 2023 and 2027, with options for three more vessels under similar terms. Simultaneously, a separate agreement from 2023 assigned the construction of six DDG 51 ships to Huntington Ingalls Industries, with options for an additional six; however, it remains unclear whether these options have been exercised. While the Department of Defense initially did not disclose the contract's monetary value, current estimates suggest each DDG 51 Flight III destroyer costs approximately $2.5 billion. Funding for this new procurement has been included in the Navy's FY 2024 and 2025 budget allocations, approved in July. According to Maine Senator Susan Collins's office, the new vessel will be named in honor of Marine Corps Corporal Kyle Carpenter, the youngest living recipient of the Medal of Honor. The U.S. Navy aims to modernize and expand its fle...