GE’s Marine Solutions has shipped a LM2500 marine gas turbine propulsion module that will help power the United States Navy’s 75th DDG Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), the company reported during the Surface Navy Association’s 30th Annual Symposium.
HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division will build Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), the first “Flight III” ship in the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke class of destroyers. HII rendering.
Shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division will construct this new destroyer with U.S. Navy Flight III upgrades incorporated. Each DDG destroyer features four GE LM2500 marine gas turbines in a COmbined Gas turbine And Gas turbine (COGAG) configuration.
“Since 1991 – for just the U.S. Navy’s DDG program alone – GE has delivered nearly 300 of our reliable LM2500 marine gas turbines. We use state-of-the-art engine technology, made in the U.S., to proudly support the world’s most advanced surface combatants,” said GE’s Brien Bolsinger, Vice President, Marine Operations, Evendale, Ohio. “We also are dedicated to helping the U.S. Navy modernize and maintain its fleet of surface combatants.”
GE’s strong industrial presence in Ohio includes its engine manufacturing facility just north of metropolitan Cincinnati in Evendale. According to United States Senator Sherrod Brown (Ohio), “Ohio manufacturing supports local jobs and our national security, and GE’s continued commitment to investing in Ohio speaks to the strength of Ohio workers.”
Ingalls has delivered 30 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the U.S. Navy, most recently the Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) on November 15. John Finn (DDG 113) was commissioned on July 15, 2017, in Pearl Harbor. Other destroyers currently under construction at Ingalls include Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), Delbert D. Black (DDG 119), Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) and Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123).
Including the DDG 51 program, GE has delivered 750 gas turbines to the U.S. Navy, its largest marine engine customer. The LM2500 is the most reliable gas turbine in the market with over 15 million hours in marine applications as well as another 70 million hours in industrial applications. A solid customer base that includes the U.S. Navy and 34 other navies worldwide allows GE to maintain a skilled American workforce as well as a robust inventory of engines, parts and spares.
