Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyers: The U.S. Navy’s Swiss Army Knife

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Key Points: The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet, renowned for their versatility and advanced capabilities.

-With 73 active ships and multiple upgrades across four versions (Flight I to Flight III), these guided-missile destroyers perform anti-air, anti-submarine, and anti-surface warfare, while also supporting carrier strike groups.

-Armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, SM-3 air defense missiles, and MH-60R helicopters, they are critical to countering threats, including a potential conflict with China.

-Operational since 1991, the class remains indispensable, though a next-generation DDG(X) program is in development. Their legacy underscores the Navy’s enduring focus on adaptability and strength.

Arleigh Burke Destroyers: Essential in a China Conflict

Although it is no longer the largest naval force in the world, having been surpassed in size by the Chinese navy, the U.S. Navy is the most advanced and capable. It currently has hundreds of surface combatants, submarines, and support ships, as well as thousands of combat and support aircraft.

When it comes to surface combatants, guided missile destroyers are the mainstay of the Navy’s surface fleet. The U.S. Navy operates two types of guided missile destroyers: the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) and the Zumwalt class (DDG 1000). In total, the Navy has 75 guided missile destroyers active (73 Arleigh Burke and 2 Zumwalt), making destroyers the most populous category of warship in the entire Navy.

Capable of countering multiple threats, American destroyers go everywhere and do everything. And if there is one type of ship that has made its name synonymous with destroyers that is the Arleigh Burke class.

The class is named after Admiral Arleigh Burke, a destroyer officer in World War II and later chief of naval operations.

Active for 39 years, the Arleigh Burke program is one of the longest-running shipbuilding project’s in the history of the Navy. From 1985 to 2024, the Navy has procured 94 Arleigh Burke destroyers (around 20 ships will be delivered in the next years). For most of the program, the Navy was receiving from two to five Arleigh Burke destroyers a year. More recently, it has been getting from one to three warships a year, and there was a three-year lull between 2006 and 2009 where it didn’t receive any.

The first Arleigh Burke destroyer entered operational service in 1991, and the fleet has received several updates and modernizations throughout its lifetime.

There are four versions of the Arleigh Burke: Flight I, Flight II, Flight IIA, and Flight III. The most advanced operational version of the Arleigh Burke, the “Flight III” design, packs a new radar system, SPY-6, and the ability to carry more advanced munitions.

Flight IIA and Flight III vessels can pack almost 100 missiles, including Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, a variety of air defense missiles, and torpedoes. The most advanced versions of the destroyer can also carry two MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopters for anti-submarine warfare.

What makes destroyers great is their versatility. A destroyer can operate on its own, as part of a destroyer squadron, or serve on a carrier strike group alongside an aircraft carrier. They are the Navy’s Swiss Army Knife, having the ability to effectively conduct anti-air, anti-submarine, and anti-surface warfare.

In a potential conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific, Arleigh Burke-class destroyers would play a key role with their ability to take on targets on the ground, in the sky, on the sea, and under the sea. They offer various options to a commander and the more options one has in combat, the better.

The Navy plans on keeping the class active for several more decades. Although a new program under the name DDG(X) is looking to develop a next-generation surface combatant, that capability is still a few years away.

PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 19, 2016) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65) fires a standard missile (SM 2) at a target drone as part of a surface-to-air-missile exercise (SAMEX) during Valiant Shield 2016. Valiant Shield is a biennial, U.S. only, field-training exercise with a focus on integration of joint training among U.S. forces. This is the sixth exercise in the Valiant Shield series that began in 2006. Benfold is on patrol with Carrier Strike Group Five (CSG 5) in the Philippine Sea supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrew Schneider/Released).

Arleigh Burke destroyers have seen extensive operational action in the past 25 years. The USS Cole, which was attacked by al-Qaeda terrorists in 2000 in Aden, Yemen, is an Arleigh Burke destroyer. Most recently, the USS Arleigh Burke (the lead ship of the class) and the USS Carney shot down several Iranian ballistic missiles with SM-3 air defense missiles in April.

But Arleigh Burke destroyers have been involved in unfortunate accidents as well. From 2012 to 2017, three destroyers of the class were involved in collisions with other ships, resulting in significant damage to warships and several fatalities.

About the Author

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense and national security journalist specializing in special operations. A Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), he holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University, an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and is pursuing a J.D. at Boston College Law School. His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP. This first appeared in Sandboxx News.