BAE Systems in the U.S. has been awarded a £146 million contract by the U.S. Navy to carry out extensive maintenance and modernisation of the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97).
The contract could potentially increase to £185 million if all additional options are exercised.
The project, which will be undertaken at BAE Systems’ San Diego shipyard, involves dry-docking the 509-foot warship, performing essential hull maintenance, and upgrading critical onboard systems.
This includes enhancing the ship’s Aegis combat system with the latest Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Programme (Block 3) and upgrading its command-and-control systems. The crew’s living quarters will also be refurbished to improve conditions for the 260 sailors on board. The work is set to begin later this month and continue into 2026.
Eric Icke, Vice President and General Manager of BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair, highlighted the significance of the work. “This type of deep-level maintenance is crucial to keeping the USS Halsey combat-ready,” he said. “Our team in San Diego is prepared to carry out the necessary upgrades and get the Halsey ready for the next phase of fleet readiness.”
The USS Halsey has been in service since 2005 and is named after Fleet Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey, a legendary figure in the Pacific during the Second World War. BAE Systems’ San Diego shipyard has recently completed similar work on another destroyer, the USS Mustin (DDG 89), and this will mark their fifth major project of this kind.
The USS Halsey, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, is a formidable multi-mission warship with a displacement of 9,300 tons. Measuring 509.5 feet in length with a beam of 66 feet, the vessel is powered by four General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, generating 100,000 horsepower across two shafts.
This propulsion system allows the destroyer to reach speeds in excess of 30 knots (55+ km/h), making it a versatile and rapid-response vessel capable of high-speed engagements and quick deployment.
Armed with a wide range of weaponry, the USS Halsey boasts one 5-inch Mk 45 Mod 4 gun for surface engagements and a Phalanx CIWS for close-in defense against missiles and aircraft. It is also equipped with two 25mm Mk 38 machine guns and several .50-calibre guns for additional firepower.
The ship’s missile capabilities are provided by a 96-cell Mk 41 vertical launch system, capable of deploying a variety of munitions including RIM-66M and RIM-156 surface-to-air missiles, BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles, and anti-submarine RUM-139 ASROC missiles. The ship’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities are further enhanced by two Mark 32 triple torpedo tubes, which can launch Mark 46, Mark 50, or Mark 54 lightweight torpedoes.
