Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer

The Arleigh Burke class is the U.S. Navy's principal guided-missile destroyer family, built around Aegis sensors, Mk 41 vertical launch cells, and multi-mission air, surface, subsurface, ballistic-missile-defense, and land-attack roles. In the United States-Iran Conflict, official U.S. imagery documented multiple DDG 51-class ships firing Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles during Operation Epic Fury.

United States-Iran ConflictUnited States

Conflict side: United States
Built by: General Dynamics Bath Iron Works; Huntington Ingalls Industries Ingalls Shipbuilding
Built in: United States

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, Guided-missile destroyer, Artillery

Profile

Type: Guided-missile destroyer
Conflict side: United States
Origin: United States
Service note: Commissioned from 1991; still in U.S. Navy production and service

naval precision fires deep strike air defense NATO

Service History

In service: 1991-present
Used by: United States Navy
Wars: United States-Iran Conflict

Production History

Designer: Gibbs & Cox
Designed: 1980s
Built by: General Dynamics Bath Iron Works; Huntington Ingalls Industries Ingalls Shipbuilding
Built in: United States
Produced: 1988-present
Variants: Flight I, Flight II, Flight IIA, Flight III

Specifications

Length: 505 ft for Flight I/II ships; 509.5 ft for Flight IIA/III ships
Displacement: About 8,230-9,700 long tons
Propulsion: Four General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, two shafts, 100,000 total shaft horsepower
Speed: In excess of 30 knots
Crew: Flight IIA: 329; Flight III: 359
Armament: Mk 41 Vertical Launching System for Standard Missiles, Tomahawk, ASROC, ESSM, plus 5-inch gun, torpedoes, and close-in weapons

Conflict Usage

United States-Iran Conflict: Side: United StatesRole: Naval Tomahawk land-attack strikeprecision fires deep strike
U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, including USS Winston S. Churchill, USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., USS Thomas Hudner, USS Delbert D. Black, and USS Spruance, fired Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles in support of Operation Epic Fury against Iran in 2026.

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Images

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, Guided-missile destroyer, Artillery - view 1

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, Guided-missile destroyer, Artillery - view 2

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, Guided-missile destroyer, Artillery - view 3

Related Weapon Systems

MdCN / SCALP Naval, Ship- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missile, Artillery

ArtilleryMdCN / SCALP NavalShip- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missileMdCN, also known as SCALP Naval or NCM, is MBDA's French naval cruise missile for long-range precision attack from surface ships and submarines. In the 2018 Syria Missile Strikes, French forces used the weapon as part of the maritime deep-strike package against Syrian government chemical-weapons infrastructure.

Army Tactical Missile System / ATACMS, Short-range tactical ballistic missile, Artillery

ArtilleryArmy Tactical Missile System / ATACMSShort-range tactical ballistic missileThe Army Tactical Missile System, commonly known as ATACMS, is a U.S. road-mobile short-range ballistic missile fired from M270 MLRS and M142 HIMARS launchers. In the United States-Iran Conflict, U.S. artillery units used ATACMS as a land-based deep-strike weapon during Operation Epic Fury, including reported strikes against Iranian naval vessels.

Ohio-class guided-missile submarine, Guided-missile submarine, Artillery

ArtilleryOhio-class guided-missile submarineGuided-missile submarineThe Ohio-class guided-missile submarine is the U.S. Navy's converted SSGN platform for large Tomahawk strike loads and special-operations support. In the United States-Iran Conflict, DoD said a U.S. submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles at Esfahan during Operation Midnight Hammer, demonstrating the class's long-range maritime strike role.

SCALP-EG, Air-launched cruise missile, Artillery

ArtillerySCALP-EGAir-launched cruise missileSCALP-EG is the French-service version of the Storm Shadow/SCALP air-launched cruise missile, an MBDA deep-strike weapon built for pre-planned attacks on high-value fixed targets such as hardened facilities and key infrastructure. French Rafale and Mirage aircraft fired nine SCALP missiles during the 2018 Syria Missile Strikes, and Ukrainian Su-24 aircraft later used the weapon as a Western long-range precision-strike option in the Russia-Ukraine War.

Standard Missile-6 (SM-6), Ship-launched multi-mission interceptor missile, Air Defense

Air DefenseStandard Missile-6 (SM-6)Ship-launched multi-mission interceptor missileThe Standard Missile-6 is a U.S. Navy ship-launched multi-mission missile for anti-air warfare, terminal ballistic missile defense, anti-surface warfare, and strike missions. In the United States-Iran Conflict archive, it represents the Aegis destroyer layer of U.S. naval air and missile defense around Iranian missile and maritime threats.

AGM-158 JASSM, Air-launched standoff cruise missile, Artillery

ArtilleryAGM-158 JASSMAir-launched standoff cruise missileThe AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile is Lockheed Martin's low-observable, subsonic air-launched cruise missile family built to let bomber and fighter aircraft strike heavily defended, high-value targets from outside many air-defense envelopes. Its documented combat use includes baseline AGM-158A launches from B-1B bombers in the 2018 Syria missile strikes, AGM-158B use during Operation Inherent Resolve, and large-scale JASSM-family employment during the United States-Iran Conflict's Operation Epic Fury against Iran.

Sources

Destroyers (DDG 51)Publisher: United States Navy | Note: Supports DDG 51 background, mission profile, Aegis and Mk 41 VLS context, builders, service entry, variants, armament, propulsion, dimensions, displacement, speed, crew, and aircraft facts. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 Arleigh Burke-Class DestroyersPublisher: General Dynamics Bath Iron Works | Note: Supports Bath Iron Works manufacturer background and class-level mission context for Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyers. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 USS Winston S. Churchill Fires TLAM During Operation Epic FuryPublisher: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Note: Supports United States-Iran Conflict direct use: fired by U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill in support of Operation Epic Fury, and provides public-domain image provenance. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. Fires TLAM During Operation Epic FuryPublisher: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Note: Supports United States-Iran Conflict direct use: fired by U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. in support of Operation Epic Fury, and provides public-domain image provenance. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 USS Thomas Hudner Fires TLAM During Operation Epic FuryPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: Supports United States-Iran Conflict direct use: fired by U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner in support of Operation Epic Fury. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 USS Delbert D. Black Fires TLAM During Operation Epic FuryPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: Supports United States-Iran Conflict direct use: fired by U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black in support of Operation Epic Fury. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 USS Spruance Fires TLAM During Operation Epic FuryPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: Supports United States-Iran Conflict direct use: fired by U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance in support of Operation Epic Fury. | Accessed: 2026-06-20 USS Winston S. Churchill Replenishment During Operation Epic FuryPublisher: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Note: Provides public-domain image provenance for USS Winston S. Churchill operating in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility during Operation Epic Fury. | Accessed: 2026-06-20