On August 1, 2026, the U.S. Navy christened the future USS William Charette (DDG 130) at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. As the shipyard's second Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the vessel transitions into system activation and integration to expand integrated air and missile defense capabilities for carrier strike groups. The upgraded Flight III design incorporates 12 MW of electrical generation capacity to power the advanced AN/SPY-6(V)1 active electronically scanned array radar. Read full defense news at this link...
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| The future USS William Charette (DDG 130) is the second Flight III destroyer completed by Bath Iron Works, the 43rd Arleigh Burke-class destroyer built at the yard, and one of the newest hulls in a program that had delivered 75 ships by mid-2026. (Picture source: BIW) |