Arleigh Burke DDG 51
A single Arleigh Burke costs $1.843 billion, while all of the Arleigh Burkes in existence have cost about $101.8 billion. Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), named for Admiral Arleigh A. Burke, USN (1901–1996), is the lead ship of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers. She was laid down by the Bath Iron Works company at Bath, Maine, on 6 December 1988, launched on 16 September 1989, and commissioned on 4 July 1991.
The Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force, was involved in the early stages of testing even before Arleigh Burke was commissioned. At land-based testing facilities, new systems were tested by sailors from the fleet. The Fighting System Engineering Development Site in Moorestown, New Jersey, hosted the testing of the combat systems. At the Gas Turbine Ship Land-Based Engineering Site in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the propulsion plant underwent testing. The purchase decision to start limited manufacturing of the ship class was backed by these test findings. On September 16, 1989, Mrs. Roberta (Gorsuch) Burke launched the ship. On July 4, her commissioning ceremony took place on the waterfront in the heart of Norfolk, Virginia, with Admiral Burke in attendance.
Many of the lessons learned by the Royal Navy during the Falklands conflict and from the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers were incorporated into the design of Arleigh Burke. The cost of producing Ticonderoga-class cruisers was rising and upgrades were proving too challenging. In order to increase a ship's ability to avoid radar detection, the Arleigh Burke was the first contemporary destroyer to be built with characteristics that minimize its radar cross-section. It also employs a slightly modified version of the Aegis fighting system, which enables simultaneous missile fire, tracking, and evasion. Its superstructure is well protected by all-steel construction, and it can operate in polluted areas due to its Collective Protection System and its ability to withstand chemical, biological, and radioactive pollutants.
Cost per unit: $1.843 billion
Total cost: $101.8 billion
Country: United States
