Image Credits: Wikipedia U.S Navy’s new Arleigh-Burke class guided missile destroyer, Ted Stevens (DDG 128), left HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding Division for its homeport in Norfolk, Virginia, ahead of its future commissioning in Whittier, Alaska. Chris Brown, Ingalls Shipbuilding DDG 51 program manager, said, “The sail-away of Ted Stevens reflects the strong momentum of our Flight III destroyer deliveries and the team’s work to deliver the most capable and combat-ready ships to the fleet.” He added that the departure of the new U.S Navy destroyer was a proud moment for everyone and that they were honoured to support the American naval force with a ship which will strengthen the nation’s maritime security for decades to come. Next-Generation of Surface Combatants The DDG 128 is the 2nd Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, constructed by Ingalls. It represents the next generation of surface combatants with advanced systems like the Flight III AN/SPY-6(V)1 radar system and the Aegis Baseline 10 combat system to tackle newer threats. This class of destroyers are the main surface combatant of the Navy and one of the most capable multi-mission warships ever constructed. They were designed during the Cold War and have undergone continuous upgrades and modifications since the 1990s to integrate air defence, missile defence, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, along with strike mission capabilities. Hence, they form the core of the Navy’s surface fleet. They have been built mainly by HII Ingalls Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, and over the years have become one of the most widely adopted destroyer class programs in the Navy’s entire history of operation and shipbuilding. Five such destroyers are presently under construction at Ingalls’ facility, and an additional seven are in pre-planning and material procurement stages. To boost production to meet the Navy’s operational needs and ramp up assembly, Ingalls has rolled out a distributed construc