| DDG 1000
is the first in a class of the U.S. Navy's multi-mission surface
combatants tailored for land attack and littoral dominance.
The ship's mission is to provide affordable, credible, independent
forward presence and deterrence and to operate as an integral
part of naval, joint or combined maritime forces. DDG 1000 will
provide advanced land attack capability in support of ground
campaigns and will contribute naval, joint or combined battlespace
dominance in littoral operations. DDG 1000 is in an advanced
state of development and will influence ship design worldwide
for the remainder of the century.
Each DDG 1000 will carry 20 VLS missile launchers distributed
along the periphery of the ship. These launchers could be loaded
with Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles (TLAM), and Evolved
Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM) and Standard type air defense missiles.
The MK57 features an open architecture, modular electronics
design that provides a significant advantage for the integration
of new missile systems without requiring modification of the
launcher control software. This design will result in faster,
more efficient system upgrades, as well as save significant
costs and time for the Navy. raytheon and BAE Systems demonstrated
the first test firing of MK57 system in February
2007.
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On January
2007 the U.S. Navy awarded over half billion US$ for continued
detailes design of the Zumwalt class destroyer, DDG-1000. Northrop
Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) was awarded US$268 million and
General Dynamics' Bath Iron Works was awarded $257 million,
bringing the total value spent on the new class' design to $644
million. The contract funds further DDG 1000 detail design and
procurement of vendor-furnished information and long-lead materials
and runs through 2013.
By February 2007
Raytheon was awarded about US$300 million contract to support
the development of the vessel's Mission System Equipment (MSE).
In addition to the Mark 57 Vertical Launcher System, the MSE
includes the ship's computing environment infrastructure; acoustic
sensor suite elements, such as the bow array sensor suite; dual
band radar; electro-optic/infrared sensor; ship control system;
identification of friend or foe; common array power and cooling
systems and various electronic module enclosures.
On April 24 2007
BAE Systems received an additional US$109 million award to complete
the design, development and integration of the Advanced Gun
System (AGS) weapon for the Zumwalt destroyer (DDG 1000). Two
years ago (In May 2005) the company (then, United Defense) received
$376 million to begin the development of the gun, a fully automated,
single barrel, 155-mm, vertically loaded, stabilized gun mount
that will be capable of firing programmable, guided Long Range
Land Attack Projectiles. The gun will enable the vessel engaged
in littoral warfare to attack land targets from safe stand-off
distance over the horizon, and support ground and expeditionary
forces beyond line-of-sight. The gun system will include fully
automated gun, and automatic loading magazine containing the
Long Range Land Attack Projectiles (LRLAP). According to the
original schedule, development is expected to complete by 2010.
Under the Navy's DDG 1000 Design, Development and Integration
contract awarded in 2005, Raytheon IDS serves as the prime mission
systems equipment integrator for all electronic and combat systems
for the DDG 1000 program. BAE Systems serves as the design agent
for the MK57 and is responsible for building the launcher for
the DDG 1000 destroyer.
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