DDG(X): the new U.S. Navy Destroyer that China won’t want to fight

What You Need to Know: The U.S. Navy’s DDG(X) program aims to develop a next-generation guided missile destroyer, set to succeed the aging Arleigh Burke-class and Ticonderoga-class warships. While initially planned for procurement in 2028, delays have pushed the expected availability to 2032.

-The DDG(X) will feature advanced missile capacities, longer-range strike capabilities, increased electrical power for energy weapons, and enhanced survivability. However, escalating costs and competing priorities, including the Navy’s F/A-XX fighter and SSN(X) submarine, are challenging the project’s timeline.

-Despite financial constraints, the DDG(X) is seen as critical for maintaining naval superiority, especially amid growing tensions with China.

DDG(X) Update: The Navy’s Future Destroyer Faces Delays and Budget Challenges

The U.S. Navy is working around the clock in order to introduce a slew of next-generation projects in the near future. From its F/A-XX fighter jet and DDG(X) destroyer to the SSN(X) submarine, the service is aiming to lead the way in incorporating the newest technologies into its weapons systems. While each next-generation program is essential, they all appear to be running behind schedule. Initially, the Navy planned to procure the first DDG(X) warship in 2028.

Recent estimates suggest the destroyer will not become available until 2032 at the earliest.

Due to spiraling expected costs and the Navy’s near-term priorities, DDG(X) has taken the back seat in terms of further development. However, since guided missile destroyers remain the pinnacle of the service’s surface fleet, it is unlikely DDG(X) will be nixed entirely.

An Overview of DDG(X)

Currently, the Navy fields Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. While these warships are formidable, the service is interested in securing a next-generation platform to succeed them. The Navy initially created the CG(X) program to fulfill this effort, but since this platform was found to have limited platform potential, the service moved on in 2010.

The service then moved on to its Zumwalt-class destroyer series. However, exorbitant costs led the Navy to cut down the class size to a mere three guided missile destroyers. In 2021, the DDG(X) program was born with the limitations of the Zumwalt ships in mind.

In order to qualify as a next-generation warship, DDG(X) will incorporate a host of advanced capabilities. From increased missile capacity and longer-range anti-surface and strike capabilities to increased survivability and efficiency, the destroyer will truly be unparalleled in the seas. The new destroyer will also feature increased electrical power and cooling capacity from previous designs, which would enable the use of higher-power equipment and direct-energy weapons.

What About the Cost?

As detailed by a Congressional Research Services report from last December, “The Navy states that the baseline DDG(X) design, like the Flight III DDG-51 design, is to include ninety-six standard Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells, with an ability to incorporate twelve large missile launch cells in place of thirty-two of the ninety-six standard VLS cells. It is also to include two twenty-one-cell Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launchers and an ability to be built with an additional mid-body hull section, called the Destroyer Payload Module, that would provide additional payload capacity.”

In February, the Department of Defense (DoD) awarded DDG(X)’s manufacturer Gibbs & Cox the latest contract modification for the destroyer worth more than $36 million. The Navy’s proposed Fiscal Year 2024 budget requests $187.4 million for the next-generation warship. The Congressional Services report questioned whether or not the Navy would have the funds to fulfill its DDG(X) aims as the service simultaneously works on developing other next-generation systems like the F/A-XX and SSN(X).

The overall cost to develop the DDG(X) may seem hefty, but the Navy’s ability to field a cutting-edge destroyer class will be essential if an all-out war with China unfolds.

Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.