An Iranian ship defied a blockade and met its match. Discover how upgraded U.S. Navy destroyers, armed with advanced radar, delivered swift and decisive action.
by Kris Osborn, Warrior
When an Iranian ship attempted to defy the U.S. Navy blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, it was obliterated by an Arleigh-Burke-class Flight IIA DDG-51 destroyer. Despite being in the fleet for decades, these warships have been upgraded for modern warfare and are still being produced by the Pentagon. The Navy currently operates more than 80 destroyers, and within the next 15 years, the service plans to add as many as 30 DDG 51 Destroyers, including 22 new, high-tech DDG 51 Flight III warships and more state-of-the-art DDG 51 Flight IIA destroyers as well.
Upgraded Destroyers
While the U.S. Navy is heavily focused on adding Flight III DDG 51s with new radar and weapons; the successful strike on the Iranian ship indicates that the service is also deeply invested in sustaining and upgrading its existing fleet of Flight IIA DDG 51s as well, some of which are now decades old. This is part of the reason why existing Navy Flight IIA DDG 51s are being back-fitted with newer, far more sensitive AN/SPY-6 radar systems which bring the ability to detect serious threats at much longer ranges. The new Raytheon-built radar can detect threat objects at twice the distance and half the size when compared to existing radar .As part of these upgrades to the legacy fleet, the Navy has been replacing steel structures, revamping on-board electronics and performing maintenance on the underwater hull of some existing Flight IIA destroyers that have been maintaining a high mission uptempo.
Weapons Upgrades & Aegis Radar
Navy Flight IIA and Flight III destroyers are also being armed with multiple laser weapons and advanced EW applications and upgraded interceptors such as SM-3, SM-6 and Tomahawk missiles. The signature element of the Navy’s Flight III and Flight IIA destroyers is a software, radar, computing and fire control ship combat system called Aegis Baseline 10. The centerpiece of the system is a new extremely precise radar system known as the AN/SPY 6 v1, a technology said by developers to operate with an ability to detect objects twice as far and one half the size compared to existing radars.
As part of the integration with Aegis Baseline 10, the radar operates with an ability to return radar renderings with 35-times more precision and fidelity than current technology. Navy weapons developers explained that new cooling technologies and electricity systems were needed to support the new, much more powerful radar system. An ability to simultaneously detect multiple incoming threats at much greater ranges and with much improved image fidelity can of course give ship commanders a much larger time window with which to determine the optimal countermeasure, response or attack plan needed to stop an incoming attack. Part of the advantage with Baseline 10 is that it can synthesize ballistic missile defense operations with lower-altitude, closer in air and cruise missile defense. Aegis Baseline 10 reduces the hardware footprint through the use of common technical standards, streamlines functionality and allows for continual performance upgrades through software as new technologies emerge.
HELIOS Laser
U.S Navy Flight IIA and Flight III DDG 51 destroyers are also increasingly armed with the emerging High-Energy Laser with Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS). This means that Navy destroyers operate with the ability to incinerate enemy drones with great precision at the speed of light, stunning, burning or simply disabling them.
Not only are lasers quiet, low-cost, scalable and precise, but perhaps of even greater significance, they fire at the speed of light. Pure speed, when it comes to ocean warfare, is increasingly vital as new technologies enter the sphere of Naval warfare, greatly changing the tactical equation. Instead of using expensive interceptor missiles fired from Vertical Launch Systems, commanders will now have the option to merely stun, or disable a target without completely destroying or exploding it. Reducing explosive effects, such as those likely generated by SM-2 or SM-6 interceptor weapons, can lower the risk of civilian casualties with bomb debris or fragmentation should a scenario unfold in a highly-trafficked ocean environment.
Lasers such as HELIOS also bring a substantial optical component, meaning they can act as a sensor to track targets and help with necessary surveillance missions. Lasers could also in some instances enable surface warships to close in more fully upon enemy positions, given that deck-mounted guns could be supplemented by laser weapons attacking at the speed of light and engineered to pinpoint narrow target areas with precision-guidance technology.
Kris Osborn is the Military Technology Editor of 1945. Osborn is also President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University