Stealth Destroyer To Host First Hypersonic Weapon On A US Warship

The US Navy is repurposing the USS Zumwalt, one of its costly stealth destroyers, to carry its first shipborne hypersonic weapon system, David Sharp reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Currently undergoing retrofitting at a Mississippi shipyard, the USS Zumwalt has been equipped with missile tubes replacing twin turrets from a gun system abandoned due to exorbitant costs. I Photo: U.S. Navy

Currently undergoing retrofitting at a Mississippi shipyard, the USS Zumwalt has been equipped with missile tubes replacing twin turrets from a gun system abandoned due to exorbitant costs.

Once operational, the Zumwalt will be capable of delivering fast, precision strikes from extended ranges, greatly enhancing its strategic utility.

“It was a costly blunder, but the Navy could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by transforming these destroyers into hypersonic platforms,” said Bryan Clark, a defense analyst at the Hudson Institute.

The hypersonic weapons, developed under the "Conventional Prompt Strike" program, will be capable of reaching speeds seven to eight times the speed of sound.

The system combines a ballistic missile launch with a hypersonic glide vehicle for unparalleled speed and maneuverability. Each Zumwalt-class destroyer will carry four missile tubes, accommodating up to 12 hypersonic weapons in total.