The USS John S. McCain, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, has long symbolized the US Navy's firepower.

Commissioned in 1994, the USS McCain launched 39 Tomahawk cruise missiles in Iraq in March 2003 after having just been deployed to the Persian Gulf two months earlier.

The missiles targeted key infrastructure and military assets of the Iraqi regime.

This strategic strike was part of a larger coordinated effort involving warships in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, as well as US Air Force F-117 Stealth Fighters, providing crucial support to advancing coalition land forces.

The execution of this mission earned the USS McCain the Navy Unit Commendation, highlighting the ship's excellence in service.

The destroyer received the Navy Battle "E" award for its performance in Destroyer Squadron 15 for both 2003 and 2004.

Advanced radar

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers center on the integrated Aegis Combat System, which consists of advanced Anti-Air Warfare and Anti-Submarine Warfare systems as well as the all-weather, long-range Tomahawk Weapon System, which can conduct land attacks.

As a member of the Flight I subclass of the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers, the USS McCain has completed extensive upgrades which includes the AN/SPY-1 radar system.

The passive electronically scanned array provides the ship with superior tracking and guidance capabilities.

The multi-function, phased-array radar is essential for search, detection, tracking and discrimination of air and surface targets.

It enables the Aegis Combat System to effectively track and guide weapons (in flight) to destroy enemy threats, making the USS McCain formidable in naval warfare.

The newer Flight III destroyers have the even more modern AN/SPY-6 radar system, an active electronically scanned array radar that offers enhanced air and missile defense capabilities.

It is designed to detect and track multiple threats simultaneously, including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, hypersonic missiles, and hostile aircraft and surface ships.

The AN/SPY-6 offers many advantages over legacy radars, such as greater detection range, increased sensitivity and more accurate discrimination, according to its manufacturer.