The start of fabrication builds on early construction gains enabled by HII’s distributed shipbuilding model. The approach expands capacity by shifting fabrication of major structural units from Pascagoula to partner yards outside the company’s traditional labor market.
For DDG 137, six partners across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida are producing structural units. HII said the model allows Ingalls to distribute work across the supply chain while focusing its own teams and facilities on final assembly and integration.
“Our Ingalls shipbuilders have worked hard to reach fabrication start on DDG 137, and by focusing our teams and facilities on final assembly and integration, our distributed shipbuilding partners are enabling us to grow the Flight III fleet,” said Chris Brown, Ingalls Shipbuilding DDG 51 program manager. “We know the U.S. Navy is counting on us to deliver highly capable ships, and this industry-wide effort is helping us meet that responsibility with urgency.”
DDG 137 is the seventh Flight III destroyer to be constructed at Ingalls. Flight III ships are described as the next generation of surface combatants.
The destroyers feature the Flight III AN/SPY-6(V)1 radar system and the Aegis Baseline 10 combat system. These systems are designed to counter evolving threats well into the 21st century.
Ingalls currently has five Flight III destroyers under construction. The shipyard also has seven more destroyers in early pre-planning and material procurement phases.
As part of its distributed production strategy, HII plans to outsource more than 2.5 million hours of shipbuilding work in 2026. The company said the plan will drive work to qualified yards nationwide and support long-term industrial base resiliency.
