Arleigh English

The missile-carrier destroyers Arleigh Burke are the most powerful destroyers built up to date. They were developed at the beginning of the '80's with the purpose of replacing the Adams (DDG-2) and Farragut (DDG-37) ships, which were approaching the end of their active life.

These ships are totally built in steel, which ensures a longer life. The design of their superstructures, with big angled plates, ensures a low radar signal and all their hatches and scoops can be hermetically sealed.

These vessels carry special systems to filter and purify air, therefore they can stay for a long time in areas with chemical or bacteriological contamination.

Their general design is a more austere version of the Ticonderoga cruisers, from which they have inherited their SAM radar system.

The idea at the end of the '80's was to build 29 of these units, 20 of which would have been in service in 1992. Unfortunately, this plan was not carried out due to budgetary limitations, since the cost of the high technology of these ships exceeded widely the initial budget assigned to each ship.

Displacement	8.300 Tons with a full load
Length	153.6 meters
Beam	20.4 meters
Draft	9.1 meters
Conventional Weapons	One 127 mm L/54 DP cannon, mounted on a simple MK 45, and two Phalanx Mk 16 CIWS de 20 mm mounts.
Missile Weapons	Two quadruple Launcher Tubes Mk 141 for 8 antiship missiles RGM 84 Harpoon Two vertical launchers for RUR-5A ASROC antisubmarine, RIM-66C Standard SM2 MR surface-air and cruiser missiles BGM-109 Toma- hawk, anti-ship and surface.
Antisubmarine Weapons	ASROC missiles, two mounts for Mk 46 or Mk 50 torpedoes, one helicopter as launcher platform.
Aerial Carrier	One Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk helicopter.
Electronics	Air search radar SPY-1D 3D 3 target ilumination radars SPG-62 One laser guided Mk 160 Seafire One SQQ-89 sonar, one SQQ-28 sonar for helicopter, one SLQ-32(V) 2 ESM, navigation and satellite communications systems
Propulsion	Four General Electric LM 2500-30 gas turbines, 100.000 HP
Perfomance	Maximum speed 32 knots, autonomy 9.250 km at 20 knots.

All photographs included correspond to the first ship of this class, the Arleigh Burke DDG-51, from which this class took its name, which was placed on harrow in 1987 and delivered in 1991. All pictures were taken at the Palma de Mallorca (Spain) port in 1993.