Beneath the surface of the visible, high-profile discussion and concern about the pace of Chinese Naval expansion, the US Navy has been surging forward with a new fleet of high-tech destroyers intended to introduce new maritime warfare possibilities.
The US Navy currently has seven new DDG 51 Flight III destroyers under construction, modern up-gunned variants of its signature warship built with new sources of on-board power, breakthrough levels of high-sensitivity, long-range radar and a next-generation combat system.
Aegis Baseline 10
The signature element of the Navy’s Flight III 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.
