The US Navy accepted the delivery of the future USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., a new guided missile destroyer, from Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division on Tuesday, November 30.
The future Frank E. Petersen Jr. is an Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA guided missile destroyer equipped with the Aegis Baseline 9C2 Combat System, which includes Integrated Air and Missile Defense capability and enhanced Ballistic Missile Defense capabilities. This system delivers quick reaction time, high firepower, and increased electronic countermeasures capability against a variety of threats.
The destroyer is named for the United States Marines Corps' first African-American aviator and general officer. The late Lieutenant General Frank E. Petersen Jr. went on to fly more than 350 combat missions during the Korean and Vietnam wars.