[Llarry]

The current U.S. Navy budget submission, not yet approved by Congress, requests authorization to buy two guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) at a cost of 2.2 billion each. A lot of the cost is in electronics of one kind or another. The SPY-6 radar costs 200 million per ship; the accompanying Aegis weapons system is 80 million each. The SLQ-32(V)7 electronic warfare system costs 80 million per ship. The vertical launching missile system costs 55 million per ship -- the forward VLS carries 32 missiles and the after VLS carries 64. The 5" gun mount forward costs 22 million per ship. The Navy has 73 of these ships in commission and many more building or authorized -- the planned total is 104 ships. (Note, however, that the first ship of the class was commissioned inn 1991 and the last of 104 will be commissioned well into the 2030s; with a planned service life of 40 years, the earliest DDGs may be retired before the last ones are in service.)

The first two photos give an overall view of the USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), the newest DDG. I'm unable to find a decent photo of the SPY-6 radar, although the view from behind shows two of the four radar antennas on either side of the mast. The third photo shows the gun and the forward missile launcher and the final photo shows the upgraded electronic warfare system fitted to DDG 125 and subsequent destroyers.

These are expensive ships! But the Navy is retiring its Aegis cruisers and these latest DDGs will assume their duties in protecting aircraft carrier strike groups etc.