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The US Navy could be trapped. Attempts to extend the life of flagships can play a bad joke if this period is too long.
The Telegraph analyst Tom Sharp writes that the US Navy has 73 Arleigh Burke destroyers, 21 of which - the oldest - are designated Flight I. Now the life of 12 of Flight I will be extended. The USS Arleigh Burke destroyer itself was commissioned in 1991. Since then, American destroyers have been gradually updated and improved as part of the Flight II, IIA and III projects.
When the Burke first appeared on the scene, the SPY-1 phased array radar, Aegis combat system, and Standard missiles were ahead of their time. With twice the displacement of the British variants, the American ships could be improved and modernized. In addition, they were fast, over 30 knots, and at the same time could make longer transitions between refueling than their counterparts.
The only downside to the Burke design is that they are noisy. As a destroyer, they were not designed to fight submarines, but the US Navy currently has no frigates, so that is their weak point.
The problem is that, while the Flight is gradually outpacing the competition, the basic body shape and related mechanics remain largely unchanged.
It is worth noting that it will not be possible to modernize and update such vessels for too long, because over time the oldest parts will begin to fail, which is what happens to steel hulls after decades of corrosion.
“Today's budget constraints require the Navy to prioritize investments to keep more ready players on the battlefield. The Navy actively uses all the necessary levers to maintain and build the combat force to support the global interests of the United States in peacetime and to win decisive victories in conflicts", - Admiral Lisa Franchetti, head of the US Navy.
Due to congressional restrictions and shipyard capabilities, the US cannot rapidly upgrade its fleet. The new Flight III Burkes don't assemble fast enough. The Ticonderoga-class cruisers – essentially super-large Burkes – are being decommissioned because they are too old. The destroyer's replacement, the DDF(X), will not begin construction until 2032. The Constellation-class frigate was redesigned during design and delayed, and will now enter service only in 2029, about 10 years later. Of the other two ships that could have helped, the Zumwalt was prohibitively expensive and the Littoral Combat Ship was ineffective. So the decision to extend the life of the old Burke is an attempt to fill the gaps.
According to Sharpe, the decision to keep old but great warships at sea is good news, but the conditions that made it necessary are not. He believes that this path can lead to high costs and limited opportunities.
US Navy - Latest News
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