Hypersonic weapons retrofit to save USS Zumwalt class from scrapheap
New hypersonic missiles have given the Zumwalt-class a new role (Source: US Navy)
Destroyer USS Zumwalt, thought to be a failed design, has now been retrofitted with new hypersonic missile capability at HII Ingalls Shipbuilding.
The DD-21 programme first entered the planning phase in 1997, but the vessel series was cancelled after just three were built.
Built primarily with rapid-fire six-inch guns capable of firing Long Range Land Attack Projectile artillery shells, it was outfitted for a scenario in which local fire superiority was guaranteed, the Zumwalts were thought to be an obsolete design built for an asymmetrical conflict in the global south.
However, with the US now gearing up for a war with China in the South China Sea, the Zumwalt-class is being retrofitted with new missile tubes for the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic weapons system, which cannot be shot down. CPS weapons can be either ‘conventional’ or nuclear-armed.
The undocking marked completion of modernisation work which began in August last year.
“In partnership with the Navy we are steadfast in our commitment to complete this complex work that adds significant hypersonic capability to Zumwalt,” HII President and CEO Chris Kastner said. “We are proud to support the incorporation of the CPS for the Navy.”
