Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:10:52-1:12:12

A Flight 4 Burke with room for a larger ship

A substantially larger Burke could gain needed capacity while retaining a familiar procurement name.

Arleigh Burke Class DestroyersDDG(X)F/A-18E/F Super HornetNaval ProcurementShip DesignUS Navy
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Question

What is behind discussion of Flight 4 Arleigh Burke destroyers?

Short answer

DDG(X)'s political reception makes further Burke development unsurprising. A substantially enlarged successor is the preferred option.

Notes

A Flight 4 Burke seems unsurprising given DDG(X)'s political difficulties and the existing class's attractive procurement position. A much larger successor under the familiar Burke name could follow the relationship between Super Hornet and Hornet. Roughly 15,000 tons is an illustrative possibility rather than an announced specification. Keeping the existing design limits would leave the underlying capacity problem unresolved.