Destroyer USS Zumwalt is a step closer to being ready to rejoin the U.S. Navy’s active fleet as its first ship equipped with hypersonic missiles.
Shipbuilder HII has announced it has completed builder’s sea trials following the extensive modernization refit, with the warship becoming the first to be equipped with the force’s new Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon developed by Lockheed Martin.
Alterations on the warship carried out at the Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, include swapping out her original twin 155mm Advanced Gun Systems with new, larger missile tubes to accommodate the new projectiles.
The shipyard’s president Brian Blanchette commented: “We have achieved a pivotal milestone with our Navy and industry partners to advance this complex modernization work that will set a precedent for the Zumwalt class.”
He added: “I’m very proud of the team effort and their critical role to advance the U.S. Navy’s first warship with hypersonic capabilities.”
The second ship, USS Lyndon B. Johnson is also currently undergoing the CPS weapon system integration at Ingalls and the third and final ship in the class, USS Michael Monsoor is also earmarked for the same upgrade at an as-yet unspecified future date.
Linked to the U.S. Army’s Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) programme, nicknamed Dark Eagle, the CPS missile is thought to have a range of more than 2,000 miles, flying at speeds in excess of Mach 5. It has been dubbed the “All Up Round” (AUR) and carries a conventional explosive warhead.
The U.S. Department of Defence (DoD) announced two successful “end-to-end” land-based test launches of the weapon during 2024, one fired from Hawaii to the Marshall Islands in the Pacific in June, the other launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida in December.
Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the CPS, responsible for launcher, weapon control, and system integration; it was awarded a $1bn contract modification to continue development in June last year. Northrop Grumman builds the missile’s motor.
Fielding the CPS on the Zumwalt-class destroyers is seen as a stepping stone to integrating them into the U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class attack submarines
- You can read more details on the HII website and the Lockheed Martin website