Advanced Zumwalt destroyers to host US Navy’s 1st hypersonic weapon

Dec 3

Ryan Robertson Anchor

By Ryan Robertson (Anchor), Mathew Grisham (Digital Producer)

For years, the U.S. Navy has been hard at work seeking to salvage the design of the futuristic Zumwalt destroyers. With a hefty price tag of $7.5 billion, the destroyers were meant to replace the Arleigh-Burke class destroyers.

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The design was eventually abandoned, though the three finished destroyers are still operational and highly advanced. Now, the Navy is on the verge of turning these ships into hypersonic heavyweights.

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Zumwalts have an unconventional design, meant to minimize radar signatures, and even have electric propulsion. They can also fire munitions like the standard missile in their vertical launchers, but were also designed with 155mm artillery guns at the front of the ship to support land forces. Unfortunately, the price per pound of those guns was close to $1 million, and they were never operational.

These ships were eventually used as testing platforms for new innovations, until now. The Navy wants to innovate with them even further.

At a Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Mississippi, the Navy has begun to replace the artillery guns with a new launching system for the Conventional Prompt Strike weapon. When it’s all said and done, each Zumwalt-class destroyer will be able to hold 12 CPS missiles.

CPS is one of the hypersonic missiles the U.S. is currently developing. The Navy and Army have both conducted numerous land-based tests. Now, the Navy says it is on track to start testing these missiles on Zumwalts in 2027 or 2028.

Hypersonic weapons are missiles that can travel at least five times faster than the speed of sound, without losing maneuverability. This is an important distinction, because ballistic missiles can travel much faster than the speed of sound, but they take a predictable path and can be easier to intercept.

A conventional prompt strike missile is made up of different components, but on the end of the weapon is a hypersonic glide vehicle that will do the maneuvering and actually impact the target. Retrofitting Zumwalts with hypersonic weapons like CPS is enough for one defense analyst at the Hudson Institute to say the Navy is taking victory from the jaws of defeat.

Russia claims to have hypersonic weapons, but Ukraine was able to counter them with U.S. supplied weaponry, including Patriot batteries. China does have hypersonic missiles, and the Pentagon confirmed as much according to documents leaked online by Jack Texeira.

Critics say hypersonic missiles are too expensive, and only offer a way to hit something far away really fast. The Congressional Budget Office says it will cost about $18 billion to buy 300 CPS weapons and maintain them for 20 years.

On the other hand, supporters say the cost of not developing hypersonic weapons could be steeper, arguing that if adversaries have them, the U.S. should too.

Tags: China, Hypersonic missile, Mississippi, Navy, Pacific Ocean, Russia, Russia-Ukraine War, Technology, Weapons

[Ryan Robertson]

AFTER SPENDING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON WARSHIPS WITHOUT A MISSION–

THE U-S NAVY IS ON THE VERGE OF TURNING THREE OF ITS BIGGEST BLUNDERS INTO A HYPERSONIC HEAVYWEIGHTS.

THE USS ZUMWALT IS THE LARGEST AND MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED SURFACE VESSEL EVER BUILT. AND AT A COST OF $7.5 BILLION, IT’S ALSO THE MOST EXPENSIVE DESTROYER IN HISTORY.

ZUMWALT’S WERE MEANT TO REPLACE ARLEIGH-BURKE CLASS DESTROYERS. THE NAVY ONLY BUILT THREE ZUMWALTS BEFORE ABANDONING THE DESIGN–

BUT THEY ARE STILL THE MOST ADVANCED SURFACE SHIPS THE NAVY OWNS.

ZUMWALTS HAVE INNOVATIONS LIKE ELECTRIC PROPULSION, UNCONVENTIONAL HULLS, AND YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED THE ANGULAR SHAPE OF THE SHIP–

MEANT TO MINIMIZE RADAR SIGNATURES.

ZUMWALTS CAN FIRE MUNITIONS LIKE THE STANDARD MISSILE IN THEIR VERTICAL LAUNCHERS–BUT THEY WERE ALSO DESIGNED TO USE SOME SUPER ADVANCED 155MM ARTILLERY GUNS AT THE FRONT OF THE SHIP IN SUPPORT OF LAND FORCES. BUT THE PRICE PER ROUND WAS CLOSE TO A MILLION DOLLARS–SO THOSE GUNS NEVER WENT OPERATIONAL.

WHILE THE ZUMWALTS WERE USED AS TESTING PLATFORMS FOR NEW INNOVATIONS–THE NAVY STILL WANTED TO GET A LITTLE MORE BANG FOR ITS BUCK.

SO, A FEW MONTHS–AT A HUNTINGTON INGALLS SHIPYARD IN MISSISSIPPI–THE NAVY STARTED WORKING TO REMOVE THE NON-OPERATIONAL GUNS ON THE FRONT OF THE USS ZUMWALT–AND REPLACE THEM WITH A NEW LAUNCHING SYSTEM FOR THE CONVENTIONAL PROMPT STRIKE WEAPON.

WHEN IT’S ALL SAID AND DONE EACH ZUMWALT-CLASS DESTROYER WILL BE ABLE TO HOLD 12 CPS MISSILES.

CPS IS ONE OF THE HYPERSONIC WEAPONS THE US IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPING. THE NAVY AND ARMY CONDUCTED NUMEROUS LAND-BASED TESTS. NOW, THE NAVY SAYS ITS ON TRACK TO START TESTING CPS ON ZUMWALTS IN 2027 OR 2028.

HYPERSONIC WEAPONS ARE MISSILES THAT CAN TRAVEL AT LEAST FIVE TIMES FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF SOUND, BUT ARE STILL ABLE TO MANUEUVER.

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION, BECAUSE BALLISTIC MISSILES CAN TRAVEL MUCH FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF SOUND–BUT THEY TAKE A PREDICTABLE PATH AND ARE EASIER TO INTERCEPT THAN SOMETHING DESIGNED TO AVOID INTERCEPTORS.

A CONVENTIONAL PROMPT STRIKE MISSILE IS MADE UP OF DIFFERENT COMPONENTS–BUT ON THE BUSINESS END OF THE WEAPON IS A HYPERSONIC GLIDE VEHICLE THAT WILL DO THE MANEUVERING AND ACTUALLY IMPACT THE TARGET.

RETROFITTING ZUMWALTS WITH HYPERSONIC WEAPONS LIKE CPS IS ENOUGH FOR ONE DEFENSE ANALYST AT THE HUDSON INSTITUTE TO SAY THE NAVY IS TAKING VICTORY FROM THE JAWS OF DEFEAT.

RUSSIA CLAIMS TO HAVE HYPERSONIC WEAPONS—BUT UKRAINE WAS ABLE TO COUNTER THEM WITH U-S SUPPLIED WEAPONRY. CHINA DOES HAVE HYPERSONIC MISSILES, AND THE PENTAGON CONFIRMED AS MUCH ACCORDING TO THE LEAKED DOCUMENTS JACK TEXEIRA POSTED ONLINE.

CRITICS SAY HYPERSONICS ARE TOO EXPENSIVE AND JUST OFFER A WAY TO HIT SOMETHING FAR AWAY REALLY FAST. THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE SAYS IT WILL COST ABOUT $18 BILLION TO BUY 300 CPS WEAPONS AND MAINTAIN THEM FOR 20 YEARS.

BUT SUPPORTERS SAY THE COST OF NOT DEVELOPING HYPERSONICS COULD BE STEEPER, ARGUING IF ITS ADVERSARIES HAVE THEM, THE U-S SHOULD TOO.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M RYAN ROBERTSON–IF YOU WANT MORE UNBIASED STRAIGHT FACT REPORTING LIKE THIS–BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP TODAY–OR CHECK US OUT AT SAN.COM