Navy cancels DDG-51 service life extensions

摘要

The Navy has opted not to conduct service life extensions of its Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, according to recent congressional testimony. In a March 4 joint statement submitted to the Senate Armed Services seapower subcommittee, Navy acquisition chief Hondo Geurts, Vice Adm. James Kilby and Lt. Gen. Eric Smith detail the service's rationale for canceling the service life extensions. "The FY-2021 President's Budget includes funding for the modernization of three destroyers to sustain combat effectiveness, ensure mission relevancy, and achieve the full expected service lives of the AEGIS Fleet. Service life extensions can be targeted, physical changes to specific hulls to gain a few more years, or a class-wide extension based on engineering analysis," the joint testimony reads. "The Navy has evaluated the most effective balance between costs and capability to be removing the service life extension on the DDG-51 class; extending the services life of the most capable ships in the cruiser fleet while removing the four cruisers that have the least effective ballistic missile capability; and delaying the accelerated retirement plan for the mine countermeasure ships by one year," it continues. The Navy announced in April 2018 that it would conduct service life extensions for all Arleigh Burke-class vessels, taking the ships to a 45-year service life.