FALLS CHURCH (dpa-AFX) - General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics (GD), announced that it has received a $1.8 billion contract from the U. S. Navy for the construction of DDG 1001 and DDG 1002, the next two ships in the Zumwalt-class program. DDG 1001 is scheduled to be delivered in December 2015 and DDG 1002 is scheduled to be delivered in February 2018.
The company said that the first ship in the class, DDG-1000, is over 50 percent complete and is scheduled to be delivered in 2014. The DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer is the U.S. Navy's next-generation, guided-missile naval destroyer, leading the way for a new generation of advanced multi-mission surface combat ships.
General Dynamics noted that the ships will feature a low radar profile, an integrated power system and a total ship computing environment infrastructure. Armed with an array of weapons, the Zumwalt-class destroyers will provide offensive, distributed and precision fires in support of forces ashore.
Work is already underway at the Bath, Maine, shipyard on DDG 1001 and DDG 1002, the company said.
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