Navy's Zumwalt program moves forward

TEWKSBURY, Mass., Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Raytheon says the U.S. Navy's Zumwalt-class destroyer program is advancing after the completion of a production readiness review.

U.S. company Raytheon announced the completion of the DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer's mission systems equipment production readiness review. During the review Raytheon assessed the ship systems' stability and maturity.

Company officials say with more than 90 separate design and production reviews, the Navy's Zumwalt program can move to the full production stage.

"The series of reviews built into the Zumwalt-class destroyer program are considered a best practice -- a model for ship programs to eliminate risks early and keep the program on track," Robert Martin, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems vice president, said in a statement.

"This review confirmed that all designs, technologies and components meet program specifications and requirements, so there are no surprises or delays as production commences."