OSINT analysts spotted an additional weapon on the deck of the USS Carl M. Levin—possibly an anti-drone launcher of some sort—during a recent excursion near Hawaii.

The US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers might soon be getting a new weapon.  

A destroyer was recently spotted carrying a new weapon system, with reports indicating that it is a counter-drone system. 

A New Weapon for the Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer? 

The USS Carl M. Levin, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, was spotted near the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, carrying a new launcher system.  

A Marine Corps news release featured the USS Carl M. Levin in the background. An open-source intelligence analyst zoomed in on the photograph and identified the new system at the aft of the warship. Slightly older photographs of the warship do not show the system, suggesting it is brand new.

In response to the growing threat of unmanned aerial systems, the US Navy has been working on developing new counter-drone systems. The need for new systems is twofold: the Navy wants to ensure that it has the necessary tools to counter a new generation of unmanned aerial systems that come with improved capabilities, and it seeks to develop countermeasures that make sense economically. An Iranian-made Shahed-136 one-way attack drone costs around $35,000, whereas even the cheapest anti-aircraft interceptor missile costs well into the six figures. 

To be sure, the new weapon system could be designed to counter other threats. However, the shape of the unknown system, coupled with the need for counter-drone weapons, suggests that its purpose is to neutralize incoming drones.

The US Navy has amassed considerable experience fighting against one-way attack unmanned aerial systems, also known as loitering munitions or kamikaze drones. The real testing ground was in the Red Sea and Yemen during the campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel movement. The Houthis possess a remarkable anti-ship missile and kamikaze drone arsenal, attacking US Navy and NATO warships repeatedly, as well as merchant vessels.

Last year, for example, the Navy tested the Coyote counter-drone system on the USS Bainbridge and the USS Winston S. Churchill Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The two guided-missile destroyers are part of Destroyer Squadron 2 attached to the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier battle group. They have seen combat in Venezuela and Iran. 

The Arleigh Burke Class Is Indispensable for the US Navy 

• Year Introduced: 1991 
• Number Built: 74 
• Length: 505-510 ft (154–155.5 m), depending on variant 
• Beam (Width): 66 ft (20.1 m) 
• Displacement: 9,000 tons 
• Engines: Four General Electric LM2500 gas turbines (26,250 bhp each) 
• Top Speed: ~30 knots (35 mph, 55.5 km/h) 
• Range: ~4,400 nautical miles (5,100 miles, 8,148 km) 
• Armaments: 5-inch Mk 45 gun; Harpoon anti-ship missiles; Aegis Combat System; Mk 45 or 46 torpedoes; Tomahawk cruise missiles; RM-66/156/161/162/174 air defense missiles (96 VLS cells); two MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopters for anti-submarine warfare. 
• Crew: 303–323, depending on the version (Flight I, Flight II, Flight IIA, and Flight III) 

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers are one of the most important vessels in the Navy.  

To begin with, they are a considerable part of the fleet. As of April, the Navy has approximately 291 warships and support vessels on the active roster. Out of these ships, 74 are Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, or just over 25 percent of the fleet—and that number is increasing with the addition of new destroyers. Indeed, these versatile surface combatants are the Navy’s backbone and are designed to conduct a wide range of mission sets.  

For example, the Navy has deployed at least two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in the Persian Gulf as part of its minesweeping operation in the important waterway.  

Depending on the variant, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer can carry nearly 100 missiles in its vertical launch system cells and conduct anti-surface, air defense, land-attack, and anti-submarine operations.  

The likely addition of a new weapon system to the class will further increase its capabilities and better prepare it for the changing nature of warfare and the ever-increasing threat of unmanned aerial systems.   

About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou  

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP. 

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