The USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000), the highly advanced US Navy destroyer with a troubled history, has returned to the waters following a 14-month overhaul. The upgrade has outfitted the ship with launchers designed to fire hypersonic missiles. 

Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, announced on December 6 that the Zumwalt had been undocked, completing extensive modernization work that began in August 2023.  

The shipyard’s efforts replaced the destroyer’s original twin 155mm Advanced Gun Systems (AGS), which were costly and inefficient, with advanced missile tubes capable of launching  Intermediate-Range Conventional Prompt Strike (IRCPS) hypersonic missiles. 

These missiles, designed to strike targets thousands of miles away at incredibly high speeds, will make Zumwalt and its sister ships the first platforms in the Navy to carry the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB). 

“The undocking marked the completion of significant modernization work at Ingalls since the ship arrived at the Pascagoula shipyard in August 2023,” said HII.

The Shipyard added, “Shortly after its arrival, the ship was put back on land in order to receive technology upgrades, including the integration of the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon system. The Ingalls team also replaced the original twin 155mm Advanced Gun Systems on the destroyers with new missile tubes.”

With the addition of the missile launchers, the ship now has four large-diameter missile tubes, each capable of carrying three weapons. This gives the Zumwalt a total capacity of 12 hypersonic missiles. 

These upgrades have positioned the ship to carry out rapid, precise, long-range strikes in any operational theater. 

The Navy plans to test the new missile system at sea by 2027 or 2028. Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe, the Navy’s director of strategic programs, confirmed the timeline last month. 

Meanwhile, the other two Zumwalt-class ships, USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) and USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002), will also undergo similar upgrades. 

The third Zumwalt-class ship, the Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002), which was not originally outfitted with the AGS, will face a shorter installation process but will see its commissioning delayed until 2027 to accommodate the new missile systems. 

The second-in-class USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) is stationed in San Diego in preparation for installing its own missile tube. 

Once completed, the Zumwalt-class ships will play a key role in the Navy’s next-generation strike capabilities, with hypersonic missiles offering unprecedented reach and speed. 

From Costly Misstep To Hypersonic Powerhouse

The Zumwalt-class destroyers have long been considered a costly misstep by the United States Navy. Many see them as an expensive experiment that didn’t deliver the expected results. 

The Navy originally planned to acquire a fleet of 32 ships but ultimately procured only three. These warships were designed to provide gunfire support for amphibious operations. 

However, the Navy never acquired the specialized ammunition needed for these guns to fulfill that role. This was primarily due to the exorbitant cost of the 155mm Long-Range Land Attack Projectiles (LRLAP), priced at US$800,000 each.

By 2017, the Navy redefined the ships’ purpose and shifted their role to blue-water strike platforms capable of engaging targets far beyond the horizon.

In fact, the Navy is replacing the Advanced Gun Systems (AGS) with hypersonic missile launchers to ensure the Zumwalt remains a key asset in modern naval combat.

Moreover, the ship’s transformation into a hypersonic missile platform will not alter all aspects of the Zumwalt-class destroyers. The missile upgrade will fit into the existing space previously occupied by the guns, meaning no additional space will be required. 

The destroyers will retain their 80 Mk 57 Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells, which can accommodate a variety of missiles, including SM-2 Block IIIAZ and Evolved Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles, Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, and potentially different variants of the SM-6 missile family. 

Although the Zumwalt class has faced several setbacks, its stealthy design, despite some radar signature increases from additional systems, could prove invaluable in stealthily approaching targets deep within enemy territory.

This stealth capability is particularly crucial in countering threats such as China’s long-range defenses in the Pacific. 

The Zumwalt-class ships feature a wave-piercing tumblehome hull with a streamlined, “knife-like” profile that reduces their radar signature, making them appear more like small fishing boats.  

The initial concerns about the hull’s stability were also resolved during testing off the Alaskan coast in January 2020.

The USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) performed admirably in rough waters, demonstrating its ability to handle challenging conditions. The ship’s performance potentially surpassed that of previous destroyer classes. 

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