IHS Jane’s 360:
The US Navy’s (USN’s) future Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) completed acceptance trials 16 December 2016 after spending two days under way off the coast of Maine, the navy announced.
Rafael Peralta is the 65th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and the first of the DDG 51 Flight IIA restart ships to be built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (GDBIW) in Maine. The DDG 51 production line was restarted in 2008 after the USN’s DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer programme was curtailed to three ships. Commissioning of Rafael Peralta is expected in 2017.
According to the USN, its Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) reviewed ship construction, compliance with navy specifications, and Rafael Peralta ‘s crew. INSURV also validated onboard systems pier-side and while under way, including navigation, damage control, mechanical and electrical systems, combat systems, communications, and propulsion applications.
Rafael Peralta is equipped with the Lockheed Martin’s Aegis Baseline 9 combat system, which enables the ship’s radar to link with other ships and aircraft and includes an Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) capability incorporating a Ballistic Missile Defense 5.0 capability upgrade and Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air (NIFC-CA) capability, according to the USN. NIFC-CA enables aircraft to provide targeting data and extends battle space beyond the horizon by integrating sensor data from co-operating ships and aircraft into a single, jam-resistant, real-time, fire control quality, composite track picture.
