From the outside, the USS Zumwalt does not look like what one would consider a warship for high-speed attacks,’ and it has ‘a smooth, angular shape that has been likened to the radar cross-section of a “small fishing boat,” which is intentional. But what’s behind its ‘low observable’ trait is that the most unconventional destroyer of the U.S. Navy is currently undergoing upgrades to make it the first surface warship of the United States to employ hypersonic missiles.
However, it took many years for the Zumwalt to finally come out of its dry dock with a completely revamped front weapon system that includes four massive launching tubes measuring 87 inches in diameter to hold triple-strike Conventional Prompt Strike missiles. These missiles are a product of combined research by the Navy and the United States Army. They are fueled by a common hypersonic glide vehicle that is launched to the edge of space via a boost vehicle and then re-enters to strike its target thousands of miles away at a speed of Mach 5 or higher.
It has taken a tremendous number of modifications in the course of the integration. Both of the original 155mm Advanced Gun Systems, designed for land attacks in long-range engagements, are no longer on the ship. The location where the forward turret once was has been altered for the CPS missile positions. The second gun mount has, in essence, been scaled down in size in order to provide more space. The launch modules are virtually identical to what would be developed for the next generation of attack submarines.
However, for the Zumwalt class of ships, this is a brand-new assignment. The three stealth ships designed for conducting shore bombardment operations will henceforth be deployed for conducting long-range strike operations in order to destroy high-value targets that lie well within enemy lines. The Navy plans to conduct live-fire missile testing on the Zumwalt later this year, hoping to reach operational status by 2026. Work is underway on modifications for Lyndon B. Johnson. Later in the decade, it will be Michael Monsoor’s turn.
The CPS system design comes from the Army hypersonic weapon system design and uses the same glide body and booster. It is said to be “all-up-round designed” and this makes its production easier. It is difficult to detect because this system has the capability to change its direction while in flight. Hypersonic glide vehicles do not possess ballistic missile trajectories. These are currently under development during a period of rapid growth of hypersonics in terms of technologies available to possible competitors.
The Chinese are putting their DF-17 into operation, testing their sea- and air-leg hypersonics. The Russians are putting their Avangard and Tsirkon into operation. Strategists of the United States military consider ship-based hypersonics to be a strike weapon, but also a force to balance out to ensure their “bubble” of possible operation is not threatened by these other possible competitors.
In terms of technology, the US Navy also developed a new method of launching such a weapon from a ship. There was a recent end-to-end test to demonstrate the feasibility of a cold gas ejection launch of such a weapon from a ship. This is less taxing to the ship since it is launching a high-energy weapon from a surface ship.
When operating in conjunction with their hypersonic force, the Zumwalt will not only be an improvement in terms of firepower but also an “implementation of a concept that could be applied not only to our submarines but to other ships. One that has been questioned for its purpose for so long. The answer to this question may soon be possible at a speed of over five times that of sound.
