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The US Navy began evolving rapidly with the commissioning of the first Arleigh Burke Class guided missile destroyer in 1991. Incorporating shaping techniques to reduce radar cross-section and the likelihood of being targeted, the class was originally designed to defend against Soviet aircraft, cruise missiles and nuclear attack submarines. Today the Navy considers these AEGIS equipped destroyers to be its most capable and survivable surface combatants.

Flight I
The first group of ships of this class have the AEGIS air defense system with the SPY phased array radar - which incorporates significant advances in detection capabilities and resistance to enemy electronic counter-measures. The ships are armed with a 90-cell vertical launching system (VLS) capable of firing rapidly a mix of Standard missiles (for air defense), Tomahawks (for strike warfare), and vertically launched ASROC missiles (for anti-submarine warfare). Other armament includes the Harpoon anti-ship cruise missile, the 5"/54 gun and the Phalanx close-in weapon system for self-defense. The AEGIS system is designed to counter all current and projected missile threats. Additionally, the ship's electronic counter-measures perform radar warning and jamming. Decoys include four  6-barrelled launchers for chaff and infrared flares and also a torpedo decoy system.

The ASW suite is the most advanced  in the world today. Towed array sonar gives long-range passive detection of enemy submarines; and the hull-mounted sonar is used actively and passively to detect and locate contacts. The ships can also land the SH-60B LAMPS Mark III helicopter which can link to the ship for support in ASW operations as well as conduct over-the-horizon targeting missions. Extensive top-side armor protects combat systems and machinery while double-spaced plating in  the bulkheads gives fragment protection. Kevlar shielding further protects vital areas and a comprehensive system guards against nuclear, chemical and biological agents. The ship's damage control and design - which provides protection against underwater shock and  nuclear air blasts - makes the destroyers the most survivable ships in the world.

Flight II
DDG-51s were constructed in flights to allow technological advances during construction. In 1992, Flight II incorporated improvements to the SPY radar, to the Standard missile, active electronic counter-measures and to communications.

Flight IIA
Beginning in 1994, all ships had retro-fitted a helicopter hangar that held one anti-submarine helicopter and one attack helicopter. Flight IIA improvements saw the hangers include instead two SH-60B/F LAMPS III helicopters and an enlarged flight deck, new combat systems software, the Evolved Sea Sparrow missile, Kingfisher mine detection sonar, Kollmorgen optronic sight and upgrade of the Aegis radar system. The Arleigh Burke destroyers and the Ticonderoga cruisers gives the US Navy 84 Aegis-capable surface combatants.
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