General Dynamics Wins $644 Million US Navy DDG 51 Ship Building Contract

General Dynamics has won a $644.3 million contract for the planning and construction of DDG 124 Arleigh Burke-class destroyer for the US Navy.

The contract is part of a multi-year competition for DDG 51 class destroyers awarded in 2013. The total value of the five-ship contract is approximately $3.4 billion, the company said in a statement Thursday.

Fred Harris, president of Bath Iron Works, said, "This funding will allow us to continue our efforts associated with planning and construction of DDG 124." General Dynamics Bath Iron Works is a business unit of General Dynamics.

There are currently four DDG 51 destroyers in production at Bath Iron Works: Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), Daniel Inouye (DDG 118) and Carl M. Levin (DDG 120).

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is a multi-mission combatant that offers defense against a wide range of threats, including ballistic missiles. It operates in support of carrier battle groups, surface action groups, amphibious groups and replenishment groups, providing a complete array of anti-submarine (ASW), anti-air (AAW) and anti-surface (SuW) capabilities.

The ships incorporate all-steel construction and have gas turbine propulsion. The combination of the ships' AEGIS combat system, the Vertical Launching System, an advanced ASW system, two embarked SH-60 helicopters, advanced anti-aircraft missiles and Tomahawk anti-ship and land-attack missiles make the Arleigh Burke class destroyers the most powerful surface combatants ever put to sea.