The Future Surface Combatant will succeed and serve alongside the Navy¡¯s current Flight IIIDDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyer program slated to being construction in 2016.Overall, the Secretary of the Navy¡¯s long-range shipbuilding plan calls for construction of 22Flight III DDGs, Navy officials said.
The X-band portion of AMDR will be comprised of an upgradedversion of an existing rotating radar (SPQ-9B), instead of the new design initially planned.The new radar will instead be developed as a separate program at a later date and integratedwith the thirteenth AMDR unit. According to the Navy, the upgraded SPQ-9B radar fitsbetter within the Flight III¡¯s sea frame and expected power and cooling availability.