Navy to pull support of destroyer program
The U.S. Navy is pulling its support for the next generation of destroyers, the first of which is to be built at Bath Iron Works, according to Inside the Navy.
According to the Washington, D.C., newsletter, the Navy wants to complete the two Zumwalt-class DDG-1000 destroyers scheduled to be completed in 2013, and then resume construction of its previous class of destroyers, the Arleigh Burke DDG-51. The Navy has not confirmed the reports.
BIW in February received a $1.4 billion contract from the Navy to build the first of the DDG-1000s. The price of the new destroyers is the major sticking point, according to Navy Times, which says the cost estimates for each DDG-1000 run as high as $5 billion. BIW was the lead builder on the previous DDG-51 program, so would be assured of work if the Navy did revert to the older destroyers.
In a statement released yesterday, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) called the reports "unconfirmed," and reiterated her support for the DDG-1000 program. Collins told Capitol News Service that "no decision has been made, I know that for a fact."
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