The Northrop Grumman Corp. and General Dynamics Corp. multibillion-dollar DD(X)destroyer program was approved by the Pentagon to proceed into full development, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday.

The decision by Undersecretary for Acquisition Ken Krieg allows the Navy destroyer to enter the next phase of the acquisition process, the final phase before full production. That phase generates contracts for the design of the destroyer vessel, Bloomberg said. No further details were given.

The approval means the Navy and the companies have addressed Pentagon concerns about moving forward with the program.