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The ''Arleigh Burke'' class of guided missile Destroyer s, one of the Destroyer Classes Of The United States Navy , are built around the Aegis Combat System and the SPY-1D multi-function phased array radar. The first ship was commissioned on 4 July 1991 . With the decommissioning of the last ''Spruance''-class Destroyer , USS ''Cushing'' , on September 21, 2005, the ''Arleigh Burke'' class ships are the only currently active class of destroyers in the Navy. The ''Arleigh Burke'' class are among the largest and most powerful destroyers ever built. (The larger ''Ticonderoga'' Class were constructed as destroyers, but were subsequently redesignated as Cruisers .) According to Bath Iron Works promotional material, ''Arleigh Burke'' is, ton-for-ton, the most powerful warship ever built. The class is named for Admiral Arleigh "31-Knot" Burke , the most famous destroyer officer of World War II . Admiral Burke was alive when the Class Leader was commissioned, and his words to the plank crew echo in the class' distinguished service to date: "This ship is built to fight; you'd better know how." One ''Arleigh Burke'' class ship has been damaged by enemy action: ''Cole'' was damaged and almost sunk by an Improvised Explosive Device delivered by a suicide boat in October 2000 in Aden , Yemen (see USS ''Cole'' Bombing ). The ship was repaired and returned to action in 2001 . The greatly improved "Flight IIA ''Arleigh Burke''" class ship, a major alteration of the class which significantly changed the ship's layout including the addition of two Helicopter hangars for improved ASW fighting capability, began with ''Oscar Austin'' . The Flight IIA ''Burke'' also received improved surface fighting and shore bombardment capability with the introduction of the longer 5 inch (127 mm) /62 caliber gun on ''Winston S. Churchill'' . Some sources have argued that the Flight IIA ships are different enough from the Flight I/II ship that it should be renamed the ''Oscar Austin'' class destroyer. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force operates four modified Flight I vessels as the ''Kongo'' Class . Three more will be commissioned by 2010 , these will be upgraded to Flight IIA standard. In August 2005, the Australian Government announced that the a variant of the ''Arleigh Burke'' was the 'preferred design' for the Air Warfare Destroyer (SEA 4000) project in which three new destroyers are to be built for the Royal Australian Navy . The three ships will be named HMAS ''Hobart'' , HMAS ''Brisbane'' and HMAS ''Sydney'' and are scheduled to enter service from 2013 . GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
SHIPS Additionally, DDG-106 through DDG-112 have been announced and awarded. The ships have not been named yet. DDG-112 will be the last of the class and is expected to be delivered in 2010 . FURTHER READING
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