Huntington Ingalls Industries, America’s largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of manufacturing, announced it successfully completed builder’s trials for U.S. Navy’s newest destroyer.
As noted by the company, the guided-missile destroyer Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) spent three days in the Gulf of Mexico testing the ship’s combat system, which included firing a missile.
“Ingalls, Navy AEGIS Test Team, the Navy ship’s force, the program office, numerous combat systems participating acquisition managers, and Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair worked together to ensure a successful builder’s trial,” said John Fillmore, Ingalls’ DDG 51 program manager. “A successful builder’s trial sets us up for a final trial prior to delivery. We are proud of the work our shipbuilders have accomplished so far and look forward to finishing strong.”
DDG 121 is named for Frank E. Petersen Jr., who was the U.S. Marine Corps’ first African American aviator and general officer. After entering the Naval Aviation Cadet Program in 1950, Petersen would go on to fly more than 350 combat missions during the Korean and Vietnam wars.