For a long time, the Zumwalt-class destroyers were somewhat mysterious and confusing to the U.S. Navy. These ships were initially designed as masked, multipurpose surface vessels of the latest technology, and the idea was that they would completely change naval warfare. However, instead, they have become infamous for their out-of-control gigantic budgets, and the ships that had been reduced in number by a large margin, as well as the main featured weapon—the 155mm Advanced Gun System—that was terminated halfway. The advanced ammo was so expensive that these giants were downgraded as if they were missing their standard weapon, or at least, for a while, an apparent capability.
Although the Zumwalts are now having a second, very different and exciting life. The Navy has decided to convert them into the first U.S. surface ships that can fire hypersonic missiles, which is a step that might eventually revive these destroyers as strategically important. This is not merely an upgrade of the hardware; rather, it is a complete overhaul of how the Navy envisions power projection, deterrence, and surface combat in the era of modern technology.
The modifications are extensive. The previously dominant Advanced Gun Systems at the bow of each ship are being replaced to accommodate four huge launch tubes. Each tube, Navy program manager Capt. Clint Lawler stated that the Advanced Payload Module is 87 inches in diameter and can triple-pack Advanced Payload Module canisters, each of which carries three Intermediate-Range Conventional Prompt Strike (IRCPS) hypersonic missiles.
That translates to a Zumwalt-class destroyer being able to carry up to 12 hypersonic weapons. It takes massive structural modifications, such as extracting deeply embedded gun mounts, bolstering bulkheads, and embedding new fire control and combat systems to handle hypersonic strike missions.
One of the wonders of technology is the missiles themselves. The U.S. Army and the Navy collaborated to create these missiles; the CPS missile of the Navy shares a common boost-glide vehicle with the LRHW of the Army, Dark Eagle.
Such weapons are launched into the air by rocket propellants, taking them to a speed of more than Mach 5, and then the separation of the glide vehicle occurs, which flies towards the target through high unpredictability. The combination of hyper speed and agility makes hypersonic missiles very difficult to detect or intercept, thus they are ideal for attacking high-value, time-sensitive targets deep within hostile territory.
Strategically, it is justifiable. Hypersonics, firstly, the duration of the journey to the target is drastically shortened, and survivability is high at long range against sophisticated defenses. When foes like Russia are rapidly growing their hypersonic arsenals and heavily investing in anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) systems, the ability to unleash swift, hard-to-halt attacks from stealthy platforms is a major advantage. The Zumwalt’s minimal radar and extremely good communication facilities make it particularly adept at penetrating heavily contested areas and carrying out fatal strikes before the opponents’ forces can react.
Challenges, however, remain. The Navy’s aggressive schedule for fielding hypersonic missiles on the Zumwalt has already been running behind in testing and integration. “The Navy has yet to identify test conditions and associated test resources that will be evaluated across the three CPS phases to adequately assess lethality and operational effectiveness in the threat-contested environment,” officials observe.
With only three vessels in the class, all equipped with special hardware and software, these ships will be expensive and challenging to maintain and upgrade. Standardization of radar and combat systems is currently discussed as a means to ease maintenance and integration.
Though experiencing difficulties like these, the Navy is still working. USS Zumwalt has been sent back to the sea after a 14-month refurbishment period, with its new hypersonic launchers fitted. It is reported that USS Lyndon B. Johnson will be the first to have hypersonic capability; therefore, USS Michael Monsoor will be upgraded in a later refit program. The allocation of resources indicates a strong intention to use hypersonic weapons on these three vessels no later than in the following ten years.
In the beginning, they were considered to be a fiasco; the Zumwalt-class destroyers could actually be triumphant over their mission. Equipped with revolutionary strike technology and by changing the role of surface warship in the future naval battle, the Navy is taking a big gamble with these enormous stealth ships that they will be one of the most important of the 21st-century maritime powers.