U.S. Navy’s Zumwalt Stealth Destroyers to Receive Hypersonic Missiles: Earlier this month,
the U.S. Navy announced that its Navy Strategic Systems Programs had awarded
a $22.8 million contract to Lockheed Martin Space Systems to integrate hypersonic weapons
aboard the three Zumwalt-class destroyers. The defense contractor will provide missile production
long-lead materials, program management, and system engineering for the Navy Conventional
Prompt Strike Weapon System Platform-Specific Development and Production project.
In addition, the two massive 155mm Advanced Gun Systems aboard the trio of destroyers – which
include the USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), the USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001), and the USS Lyndon B.
Johnson (DDG 1002) – will be completely removed. This will supersede a former plan that had called
for leaving the AGS in place. It will require significant modification to the three destroyers.
“We are removing the guns, the upper and lower gun rooms.
That includes the loading system, the transfer carts, the ammo, etc.,” Capt. Matthew Schroeder,
DDG 1000 program manager, Program Executive (PEO) Ships told USNI News earlier this month.
“[We’re] going down about five platforms to accommodate the height of the missile,
which is significantly larger than other missiles in the inventory.”
When the availability is complete in 2025, USS Zumwalt – which will be the
first of the three to undergo the refit – will be armed with the Common Hypersonic Glide Body
(C-HGB). The hypersonic missile was developed for use by the U.S. Army, Air Force, and the Navy.
The 16,000-ton Zumwalt-class destroyers will be equipped with at least two sets
of missile tubes inserted on the port and starboard sides of the ships.
The conventional prompt strike (CPS) concept will extend the long-range strike capability for the
U.S. Navy, as the hypersonic missiles would be able to strike nearly any target in the world in
less than an hour. However, the focus would remain on attacking high-value, or fleeting targets,
with extremely fast hypersonic weapons, which can fly faster than five times the speed of sound.
Refocusing the Mission of the Zumwalt-class
Designed as a new class of multi-mission stealth warships with a focus on land attacks,
the sleek Zumwalt-class destroyers were also developed to take on secondary roles
including surface and anti-aircraft warfare. The next-generation,
multi-mission destroyers are also equipped with a state-of-the-art electric propulsion system,
wave-piercing tumblehome hull, stealth design, and the latest warfighting technology and weaponry.
Classed as destroyers, the Zumwalt-class was designed to be larger than any active destroyer
or even cruiser but also met the congressional mandate for a warship that has the naval fire
support of a battleship. The new warships were further developed to be capable of
performing a range of deterrence, power projection, sea control, and command and
control missions – and were designed to operate in both the open ocean and near-shore environments.
In addition, the streamlined, wave-piercing tumblehome hull of the warships has a “knife-like
profile,” which provides the 600-foot-long vessel with the radar signature of a fishing boat.
Despite concerns over the stability of the hull, during testing off the coast of Alaska
in 2020, USS Zumwalt handled rough waters as well,
and perhaps even better than previous classes of destroyers.
At issue has been exactly how the warships could accomplish their primary mission of land attacks.
As a new generation of warships, the Zumwalt-class was designed to be fitted with two 155mm AGS,
which was developed by BAE Systems to be capable of engaging targets with precision-guided shells
at a range of up to 60 miles. In wartime, the destroyers could use such an ability to engage
targets from close to shore to create a path for an amphibious landing.
The problem is that the Long Range Land Attack Projectile,
the precision-guided shell to be used in the AGS, ballooned in price from
$50,000 to $800,000 for each round – making it simply too expensive to fire.
Changing Course
Originally, 32 of the stealth destroyers were planned – with the $9.6 billion research and
development (R&D) costs spread across the whole of the class – but the program was scaled back
to 24 warships. Then it was further cut back to seven and finally to just three
Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyers that were produced for the U.S. Navy,
bringing the price tag per ship to $7.5 billion including the R&D costs.
As a result, the Navy reverted to building more of the proven Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
By replacing the AGS with hypersonic missiles, the role of the Zumwalt-class will change,
but it may finally have a significant role in the U.S. Navy, and allow the service to
successfully reverse course on what was has been seen to be a seriously expensive mistake.
Conventional Prompt Strike Missile
Previously the Navy had plans to put their Conventional Prompt Strike missile — the
Navy’s hypersonic missile — aboard Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines.
However, those plans fell apart because the Navy couldn’t scrape together the necessary
funding for adequately testing the missile underwater ahead of operational deployment.
In light of the underwater Conventional Prompt Strike missile delays,
the Navy has opted to forgo integrating the missile onto Ohio-class subs completely. The
submarines would have retired shortly after accepting the missile anyway.
Instead, the Navy would plan on equipping the newer Virginia-class submarines with
Conventional Prompt Strike, many of which are still under construction — meaning the
most advanced Block V variant, which has yet to enter service.
And in the meantime, the Navy’s Zumwalt-class
ships will take delivery of the Conventional Prompt Strike missile.
The missile itself, though not nuclear, would have the range to hit targets
at great distances at very short notice. Previously, only the United States nuclear
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles had the range necessary to hit targets around the globe.
Though extremely fast, ICBMs do not travel as quickly as hypersonic weapons.
Until ready for submarine deployment, the Navy has expressed an interest in equipping
their Zumwalt-class stealthy destroyers with the missile as an interim measure.
However, since the small, three-ship class had its ineffective deck guns removed, it has lacked
a clear mission application, though the CPS missile could breathe new life into the class.
What’s Next?
Though the Navy’s submarine-launched hypersonic weapon program is somewhat delayed, the Navy is
nonetheless preparing for a wider hypersonic missile roll-out — better late than never.