General Dynamics subsidiary Bath Iron Works has delivered the future USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG-127), the final Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA destroyer, to the US Navy ahead of schedule. The multi-mission guided-missile warship is named in honor of Marine Corps Corporal Patrick Gallagher, who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism during the Vietnam War. Construction of DDG-127 began in November 2018, and the vessel was christened at Bath Iron Works in July 2024. Following successful builder’s sea trials that commenced in April 2026, the destroyer was handed over to the Navy more than two months earlier than planned and will be based in Norfolk, Virginia.
The Arleigh Burke-class has evolved through multiple variants—Flight I, Flight II, Flight IIA, and Flight III—while retaining the same fundamental hull design and incorporating progressively advanced technologies. Flight IIA destroyers include ships DDG-79 through DDG-124, as well as DDG-127, with the lead vessel USS Oscar Austin entering service in 2000. Like the newer Flight III configuration, Flight IIA ships are equipped with a 96-cell Mk 41 Vertical Launch System and dual hangars supporting two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters. The key distinction lies in their combat systems, as Flight IIA vessels use the AN/SPY-1D(V) radar, while Flight III destroyers feature the more advanced AN/SPY-6(V)1 radar and Aegis Baseline 10 combat system, significantly enhancing ballistic missile and drone detection capabilities.
