PASCAGOULA, Miss. – Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding has unveiled its design for the next generation of destroyers intended to operate with smaller crews, cutting operational cost by 40 percent.

The Ingalls development team, which includes Raytheon Electronic Systems, The Boeing Co. and about 50 other companies, submitted its plan for the new DD-21s to the U.S. Navy last December.

Bath Iron Works in Maine and Lockheed Martin combined to put in an opposing plan announced less than two months ago.

The winning design will be announced this spring.

Bath Iron Works and Ingalls will each build 16 destroyers, but the winning team is expected to benefit from its lead role. It also will provide lifetime support to destroyers.

The Ingalls team design is a multi-mission ship with a two-gun system, an aircraft landing pad and flexibility for growth, said Jack Cronin, vice president of the DD-21 program from Raytheon.

The savings in operations and support costs comes from a reduction in crew to 95 from current destroyers that have about 300, an efficient fuel system and a modernized maintenance plan, Robinson said.

The Bath Iron Works team plan, announced in January, features all-electric propulsion system and two 155-millimeter guns that can hit a tennis court 60 miles away with a 250-pound shell.

The Zumwalt-class land attack destroyer, named for the late Adm. Elmo M. Zumwalt, would also operate with a crew of about 95, a reduction of 70 percent from that of current destroyers.

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott said the DD-21 is the ship of the future with more armaments and fewer personnel.