3D modeling could speed procurement of Navy destroyer

3D modeling is really coming along if it is this advanced.

As the Navy prepares to award a production contract for its new Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer this year, service officials are touting advanced 3D manufacturing and design techniques as a way to cut cost and time for its major shipbuilding programs.

The day after the service released a final request for proposals for the DDG-51 Flight III program — which includes a redesign of the current Flight IIA configuration to fit an upgraded radar capability onto the ship — Navy Assistant Secretary for Research, Development and Acquisition James “Hondo” Geurts said the increased use of digital technologies in the R&D phase could help move the program’s production timeline to the left.


“You’re starting to see the era of digital come,” he said in a keynote speech at a recent industry conference in San Diego. Geurts, who assumed his new role in late 2017, said augmented reality and 3D digital modeling technologies could encourage speed and efficiency at the development stage for major shipbuilding programs.


The service has seen “huge savings” for the construction of the second Ford-class aircraft carrier thanks to these advanced design techniques, and could see similar gains as it moves forward with the DDG-51 Flight III program, he told reporters after his speech.