New Navy stealth destroyer under construction in Maine

[Harald]

HII Completes Builder's Sea Trials for USS Zumwalt

HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding division successfully completed builder's sea trials for USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000).

HII press release

The Ingalls and Navy team conducted a comprehensive series of at-sea tests following an extensive modernization availability as the Navy's first Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) platform.

"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," said Brian Blanchette, Ingalls Shipbuilding president. "I'm very proud of the team effort and their critical role to advance the U.S. Navy's first warship with hypersonic capabilities."

USS Zumwalt, the lead ship of the Zumwalt-class destroyers, arrived at the Pascagoula shipyard in August 2023 for modernization. Shortly after arrival, the ship was moved onto land where the Ingalls team completed major technology upgrades. This included integrating the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon system and replacing the original twin 155mm Advanced Gun Systems with new missile tubes. In December 2024, USS Zumwalt was undocked and underwent further preparations for operational readiness.

Additionally, USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002) is also undergoing CPS weapon system integration at Ingalls and USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) is scheduled to receive the CPS system during a future availability.

Zumwalt-class destroyers feature a state-of-the-art electric propulsion system, wave-piercing tumblehome hull, stealth design and is equipped with the most advanced warfighting technology and weaponry. These ships will be capable of performing a range of deterrence, power projection, sea control, and command and control missions while allowing Navy to evolve with new systems and missions.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2026/01/hii-completes-builders-sea-trials-for-uss-zumwalt/

[Harald]

First Look At Stealth Destroyer's Hypersonic Missile Launchers

USS Zumwalt will pack a dozen long-range hypersonic missiles, but one of its Advanced Gun Systems still remains after the refit.



Newly released pictures offer the first real look at the four new large launch tubes for firing Intermediate-Range Conventional Prompt Strike (IRCPS) hypersonic missiles now installed on the U.S. Navy's stealth destroyer USS Zumwalt. The other two ships in the Zumwalt class are also set to get the same array of tubes on their bows, which could also potentially be used to launch payloads beyond IRCPS. The ships are losing at least one of their 155mm Advanced Gun Systems (AGS), the advanced ammunition that the Navy previously determined would be too expensive to buy, as part of the process.

Navy Capt. Clint Lawler shared pictures showing the installation of USS Zumwalt's new launch tubes in a briefing yesterday at the Surface Navy Association's main annual symposium. Lawler is the program manager for the three-ship Zumwalt class, also known as the DDG-1000 class, within the Navy's Program Executive Office for Ships (PEO Ships). USS Zumwalt has been at the HII shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, since August 2023 for the IRCPS integration and just returned to the water after months in dry dock in December.

In addition to providing the first real look at the launch tubes installed, Lawler's pictures give a sense of the scale of the work that was involved. As noted, the Zumwalt's forward 155mm AGS turret, as well as associated components that extend deep below decks, had to be removed first, a process that was completed in March 2024.

The foundation for the new launch tubes went into the newly freed-up space in May 2024. The installation of additional bulkheads and other work followed quickly thereafter. The four launch tubes themselves were delivered to the yard between July and August of last year. The basic installation of the tubes was finished by October.

Each one of the new launch tubes for the Zumwalt class ships is 87 inches, or 7.25 feet, in diameter, per a report from USNI News. IRCPS missiles will be triple-packed into the tubes via an Advanced Payload Module (APM) canister, for a total load of up to 12 missiles. The Navy also plans to eventually integrate IRCPS onto its future Block V Virginia class submarines.

The IRCPS missiles themselves are tipped with an unpowered boost-glide vehicle on top and you can read more about hypersonic weapons of this general type here. The Navy is jointly developing the missile with the U.S. Army, which plans to field it in a ground-launched configuration called the Dark Eagle or Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW).

The goal now is to have Zumwalt ready for actual live-fire testing by the end of the year. Multiple ground-based IRCPS/Dark Eagle test launches have already occurred. This includes the first successful firing of one of the missiles from the Army's trailer-based launcher in December, which followed some two years of failed attempts to do so. The Army had blamed those setbacks on problems with the launcher, not the missile.

There is the possibility that the new tubes being added to the Zumwalt class ships could be used to fire other payloads in addition to IRCPS missiles. A rendering on display at the Surface Navy Association symposium this week depicted a Zumwalt class ship with seven-round canisters loaded into at least two of the tubes, as seen in the social media post below. TWZ has reached out to the Navy for more information.

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https://www.twz.com/sea/first-look-at-stealth-destroyers-hypersonic-missile-launchers

[Harald]

https://marineschepen.nl/nieuws/Zumwalt-weer-in-water-voorzien-van-lanceerinrichting-hypersone-wapens-091224.html

Amerikaanse destroyer Zumwalt stap dichter bij hypersone wapens

De Amerikaanse torpedobootjager USS Zumwalt ligt sinds vrijdag 6 december na een lange periode van onderhoud weer in het water, dat meldt bouwer HII. Het dure en moderne schip werd veertien maanden geleden naar de kant gehaald en is nu voorzien van nieuwe lanceerinrichtingen. Deze vervangen de 155mm kanons en zijn geschikt voor de lancering van hypersone wapens.

[Harald]

US Navy Destroyer USS Zumwalt Undocked by HII

The destroyer saw its two 155mm Advanced Gun Systems removed to receive new missile tubes for the Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic weapon system.


HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding division successfully undocked USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), the lead ship of the U.S. Navy's Zumwalt-class of guided missile destroyers on Friday, December 6, 2024.

HII press release

HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding division successfully undocked USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), the lead ship of the U.S. Navy's Zumwalt-class of guided missile destroyers, taking the ship one step closer to testing and returning to the U.S. Navy fleet.

"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 conventional prompt strike for the Navy."

The undocking marked the completion of significant modernization work at Ingalls since the ship arrived at the Pascagoula shipyard in August 2023. Shortly after its arrival, the ship was put back on land in order to receive technology upgrades including the integration of the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon system. The Ingalls team also replaced the original twin 155mm Advanced Gun Systems on the destroyers with new missile tubes.

Zumwalt-class destroyers feature a state-of-the-art electric propulsion system, wave-piercing tumblehome hull, stealth design and is equipped with the most advanced warfighting technology and weaponry. These ships will be capable of performing a range of deterrence, power projection, sea control, and command and control missions while allowing Navy to evolve with new systems and missions.



Naval News comments:

USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) arrived in Mississippi in August 2023 to begin a two-year modernization period and receive technology upgrades including new hypersonic missile tubes. The tubes will each hold three Common Hypersonic Glide Bodies (C-HGB) – hypersonic missiles being developed jointly between the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy – for a total of 12 missiles on the ship.

The C-HGB is part of a Department of Defense effort to field multiple conventional prompt strike platforms that can strike targets anywhere in the world with no warning.

The U.S. Navy also plans to upgrade Zumwalt sister-ships USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) and Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002) at HII Ingalls.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/12/us-navy-destroyer-uss-zumwalt-undocked-by-hii/

USS Zumwalt's front AGS lifted from the bow of the ship at Ingalls Shipbuilding, May 7, 2024.



https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/05/us-navy-removes-first-155mm-ags-from-uss-zumwalt-at-ingalls-shipbuilding/

[Harald]

USS Zumwalt stealth destroyer to become first hypersonic missile warship in US Navy.

As reported by the Associated Press on November 30, 2024, the USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000), the lead ship in the Zumwalt-class stealth destroyers of the US Navy, is currently being modified at Huntington Ingalls Industries' shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The ship is undergoing an upgrade to integrate the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) missile system, which will make it the first US warship capable of deploying hypersonic weapons. This modification involves replacing its original Advanced Gun System (AGS) with four large-diameter missile tubes, each accommodating three hypersonic missiles, for a total capacity of 12 missiles per ship.

The USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000), the lead ship in the Zumwalt-class stealth destroyers of the US Navy, is currently being modified to provide the United States with the ability to execute precision-guided conventional strikes globally within one hour.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII)'s Ingalls Shipbuilding division has played a significant role in the modernization of Zumwalt-class destroyers. On August 29, 2023, it was awarded a $154.8 million contract to upgrade the USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), including the integration of the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon system. This follows earlier contracts, including a $10.5 million award in January 2023 for the modernization planning of USS Zumwalt and USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001). HII has also been involved in outfitting Zumwalt-class destroyers with advanced Mk 57 vertical launch systems under a $74 million contract awarded in April 2024. Leveraging nearly $1 billion in infrastructure investments, HII continues to enhance the combat capabilities and technological sophistication of these stealth warships.

The Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) program, initially referred to as Prompt Global Strike, is designed to provide the United States with the ability to execute precision-guided conventional strikes globally within one hour. CPS utilizes technologies such as hypersonic glide vehicles and surface-, air-, and submarine-launched missile platforms. Potential delivery systems include rockets akin to intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), hypersonic cruise missiles, and kinetic weapons launched from orbit. A key objective is to address rapid-response scenarios and expand options beyond nuclear strikes. Testing milestones include the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon's 2011 flight, the Common Hypersonic Glide Body tested in 2020, and integration plans for Zumwalt-class destroyers in 2024. Design measures aim to differentiate CPS from nuclear systems to mitigate risks of misinterpretation by adversaries.

The CPS upgrade program involves multiple defense contractors. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor responsible for final missile assembly, which takes place in Courtland, Alabama, integrating components manufactured by Northrop Grumman and Dynetics. Northrop Grumman builds the missile boosters and payload module, while Dynetics constructs the hypersonic glide body. Funding and oversight for the program are managed by the DDG-1000 Program Office. However, the cost of these systems has raised concerns. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that producing and maintaining 300 hypersonic missiles over 20 years could cost nearly $18 billion, averaging $60 million per missile. Critics argue that the expense may exceed the value of many potential targets. Proponents counter that hypersonic weapons extend operational range and precision beyond the reach of conventional systems, providing an advantage in contested environments.

The USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) is a guided missile destroyer and the lead ship of its class, named after Admiral Elmo Zumwalt. It displaces 14,564 tons, measures 600 feet in length, and is powered by an Integrated Power System generating 78 MW, enabling speeds of 33.5 knots. Initially equipped with two 155 mm Advanced Gun Systems designed for Long Range Land Attack Projectiles, the cancellation of ammunition rendered the guns inoperable, leading to a shift from land attack to surface warfare. The vessel features 80 Mk 57 Peripheral Vertical Launch System cells for various missiles, a radar cross-section designed for reduced detection, and an automation-focused design for a smaller crew. Commissioned in 2016, the Zumwalt has undergone modifications, including the planned replacement of the Advanced Gun Systems with hypersonic missile launch systems during a modernization period that began in 2023.

The Zumwalt-class destroyers were conceived during the DD-21 program, launched in the 1990s, as a 21st-century solution for naval fire support, a role previously filled by battleships. The program aimed to develop multi-mission warships with a focus on land attack, anti-surface warfare, and reduced radar detection, aligning with Congressional mandates for enhanced naval firepower. Due to rising costs and evolving military priorities, the program was restructured into the DD(X) initiative, and the number of planned ships was reduced from 32 to 3. At an estimated total program cost of $22.5 billion, the Zumwalt-class represents a shift toward smaller, more technologically integrated fleets, as well as an attempt to balance technological innovation with fiscal and operational challenges, amid a global race for the hypersonic superiority.

In fact, hypersonic capabilities are now considered essential by the United States for maintaining strategic parity with competitors such as Russia and China, who have made significant advancements in this field. China tested its DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle between 2014 and 2016, reportedly entering service by 2019 along with other hypersonic weapons like the DF-27 and the YJ-21. Russia has pursued analogous technologies, including the Avangard hypersonic weapon system, which began series production in 2018, and the OPreshnik, recently used in Ukraine. Concerns about strategic stability and misidentification have been raised internationally, particularly by Russia, which has responded with upgraded missile defenses, precision weapons, and continued strategic nuclear modernization.

https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/navy-news/2024/uss-zumwalt-stealth-destroyer-to-become-first-hypersonic-missile-warship-in-us-navy

[Harald]

US Navy Removes First 155mm AGS From USS Zumwalt At Ingalls Shipbuilding

US Navy destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) has moved one step closer to Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) integration with the removal of one of its Advanced Gun System (AGS) on May 7th.


USS Zumwalt's front AGS lifted from the bow of the ship at Ingalls Shipbuilding, May 7, 2024.

The addition of the hypersonic CPS missiles to USS Zumwalt will provide unparalleled capabilities for firepower and range.

The guided missile destroyer arrived at HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi in August 2023 for a homeport change ahead of its planned Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA). USS Zumwalt entered a floating drydock at Ingalls Shipbuilding around November 28th as seen on Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. Naval News also found that USS Zumwalt entered HII's Integration Area between November 28th and December 13th, which marked the beginning of its refit to carry hypersonic missiles.

Several months after the ship arrived at Ingalls Shipbuilding, a photo published on the official Facebook page of USS Zumwalt shows the first 155mm AGS being removed from the ship. Satellite imagery taken May 9th showed one AGS missing from the Zumwalt, a clear change from previous weeks showing no visible work.

.../...

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/05/us-navy-removes-first-155mm-ags-from-uss-zumwalt-at-ingalls-shipbuilding/

[Harald]

What should become of the Zumwalt class? The US Navy has some big ideas.

The U.S. Navy is exploring a major ship alteration for its three stealth destroyers that would further drive up the cost of the platform but could deliver a radical new hypersonic capability in the ongoing naval competition with China  in the western Pacific.

In a solicitation posted March 18, the Navy asked industry for ideas on how to reconfigure the Zumwalt class to host larger hypersonic missiles of a size that would not fit in the vertical launch system tubes currently installed on the ships. The service also wants that business to provide the missiles and supporting software and technology to support the missiles.

Specifically, the Navy is looking for ideas about installing an "advanced payload module" that can support the Navy's conventional prompt strike missiles "in a three-pack configuration," according to the notice.

Two sources familiar with discussions around the future of the Zumwalt class said it would be possible to replace the idle Advanced Gun System – the original raison d'être of the class designed to support Marine landings with gunfire support from well over the horizon – with the desired payload module supporting hypersonic missiles. Experts said that doing so would transform the DDG-1000s from ships in search of a mission into powerful conventional deterrent in the Indo-Pacific region.

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The idea then evolved into using Zumwalt as a surface ship killer, which has now evolved again into adding a module with conventional prompt strike hypersonic missiles to the hull. The after-market payload module is necessary because the conventional prompt strike missiles are at least 30 inches in diameter, and the current 80-cell VLS launcher on the DDG-1000 design, while larger than the standard Mark 41 VLS on the cruisers and destroyers, maxes out at missiles that are 28 inches in diameter.

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https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2021/03/25/what-should-become-of-the-zumwalt-class-the-us-navy-has-some-big-ideas/

[Harald]

USS Zumwalt fires SM-2 using MK 57

USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) has successfully executed the first live fire test of the MK 57 Vertical Launching System with a SM-2 missile interceptor on the Naval Air Weapons Center Weapons Division Sea Test Range, Point Mugu, Oct. 13.

http://alert5.com/2020/10/20/uss-zumwalt-fires-sm-2-using-mk-57/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoMRp8JBM2A&feature=emb_logo

[Harald]

USN eyes potential to arm DDG-1000 with advanced weaponry  (helaas betaal barrière )

https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/naval-warfare/premium-usn-eyes-potential-arm-ddg-1000-advanced-w/

[Sparkplug]

US Navy accepts destroyer Zumwalt delivery as service faces surface fire support shortfall

Michael Fabey, Washington, DC - Jane's Navy International
27 April 2020

The US Navy (USN) took delivery of guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) on 24 April, officially joining the US Pacific Fleet battle force assigned to Surface Development Squadron One, where the ship will eventually help develop new warfighting capabilities and rapid development and validation of operational tactics, techniques, and procedures.

It is a different role for a ship class initially and specifically designed to provide fire support - whose first Operational Requirements Document (ORD) values included an Advanced Gun System firing Long Range Land Attack Projectiles (LRLAP) - to address a land-attack gap, which needs to still be addressed.

To read the full article, Client Login
(125 of 762 words)

https://www.janes.com/article/95795/us-navy-accepts-destroyer-zumwalt-delivery-as-service-faces-surface-fire-support-shortfall

[Sparkplug]

Here's how the destroyer Zumwalt's stealthy design handles stormy seas

https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/01/23/heres-how-the-ddg-1000s-stealthy-hull-design-handles-stormy-seas/


Questions have dogged the design of the Zumwalt's tumblehome hull for years. Now its captain is speaking out about how it handles high seas. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)

[Sparkplug]

Zumwalt Program Continues Testing Combat System and Missiles on Lead Ship, Test Ship

https://news.usni.org/2019/05/28/zumwalt-program-continues-testing-combat-system-and-missiles-on-lead-ship-test-ship

[Sparkplug]

Navy Stands Up Surface Development Squadron for DDG-1000, Unmanned Experimentation

https://news.usni.org/2019/05/22/navy-stands-up-surface-development-squadron-for-ddg-1000-unmanned-experimentation

[Parera]

The US Navy is eyeing a big change to its new stealth destroyers

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The U.S. Navy is considering a significant change to its new stealth destroyers, one driven by the change of mission announced in last year's budget documents, the head of the program said May 7 at the Sea-Air-Space conference.

The service has been struggling to find a use for the ship's advanced gun system — the largest of its type fielded by the service since World War II — and now is considering stripping them off the platform entirely, said Capt. Kevin Smith, the DDG-1000 program manager at Program Executive Officer Ships.

The Navy sidelined the guns after the service truncated the buy to just three ships, and after the ammunition, called the Long-Range Land-Attack Projectile, ballooned in price to more than $800,000 per round.

"The guns are in layup," Smith said. "We're waiting for that bullet to come around that will give us the most range possible. But given that that is offensive surface strike, we're going to look at other capabilities potentially that we could use in that volume."

The ships shifted missions from land attack to ship-hunting and -killing last year. The Navy is integrating the SM-6 missile, which has a surface-attack mode, and are integrating the maritime strike Tomahawk to fill out the new capabilities.

In April testimony, the Navy's top requirements officer, Vice Adm. William Merz, told Congress that the slow development of the Advanced Gun System was holding back the Zumwalt.

"Even at the high cost, we still weren't really getting what we had asked for," he said. "So what we've elected to do is to separate the gun effort from the ship effort because we really got to the point where now we're holding up the ship."

The Navy has touted the ship's excess space, weight, power and cooling as advantages the service would want throughout the ship's life. Everything from directed energy and electromagnetic rail guns to electronic warfare equipment has been floated as add-ons to the Zumwalt-class destroyers.

The Navy got in its present pickle with the 155mm/.62-caliber gun with automated magazine and handling system because the service cut the buy from 28 ships, to seven, and finally to three.

The AGS was developed specifically for the Zumwalt class, as was the LRLAP round it was intended to shoot. There was no backup plan, so when the buy went from 28 to three, the costs remained static, driving the price of the rounds through the roof.

The program itself is coming along, said Smith.

The Zumwalt is going through trials as its combat system installation wraps up; the Michael Monsoor is heading into the yards for its combat system installation; and the Lyndon B. Johnson is nearly 85 percent complete.

The remaining work on Johnson involves running cables, painting spaces and otherwise putting the finishing touches on the ship. The ship will then leave Bath, Maine, and head toward its home port of San Diego, California.

"We're going to energize high voltage in September, lighting off the generators in the spring, then we'll be going to test and activation for the [hull, mechanical and electrical systems], trials in the fall, then delivery."

[Source: https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/navy-league/2019/05/07/the-us-navy-is-eyeing-a-big-change-to-its-new-stealth-destroyers/ ]

[Sparkplug]

U.S. Navy Christened 3rd & Final Zumwalt-class Destroyer USS Lyndon B. Johnson

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2019/04/u-s-navy-christened-3rd-final-zumwalt-class-destroyer-uss-lyndon-b-johnson/