“What happens to a highly advanced warship design when its signature weapon collapses under its own complexity?” For the U.S. Navy’s three-ship Zumwalt class, the answer is now apparent on the bow: the removal of the problematic gun battery and the addition of oversized launch hardware for the Navy’s first surface ship hypersonic attack capability. USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) has emerged from an extended yard period with a new forward combat punch in the form of vertical launch tubes scaled for the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon family.
The extent of the modification is why this is not simply a run-of-the-mill upgrade. From imagery briefed by the program office, it appears that the forward 155mm Advanced Gun System mount and the deep magazine structure that supported it had to be torn out before the new foundation could be constructed and then reinforced with additional internal structure. This has yielded a four-tube system, with each tube designed around an Advanced Payload Module concept, which will allow for “triple-pack” loading of CPS rounds with a planned capacity of up to 12 missiles per ship. The tubes are quite large by any standard, with 87 inches in diameter cited for each launcher, which gets at why the Navy decided to devote dedicated deck space to the CPS missiles rather than trying to jam them into existing launchers.
But this physical reality also speaks to the larger institutional shift. Zumwalt was once touted as a next-generation land attack destroyer with two specialized guns, and the ammunition plan fell through, leaving the class without the mission that justified most of the design. Today, CPS turns the ship on its head and describes it as a long-range strike platform where stealth design, automation, and electric power distribution are no longer nice-to-have capabilities searching for a mission, but tools of a trade that allow the ship to operate in proximity to protected areas while keeping its targets at risk from well beyond the range of traditional naval guns.
CPS is based on a boost-glide concept in partnership with the Common Hypersonic Glide Body, which is also part of the U.S. Army’s Long Range Hypersonic Weapon program. The technical promise is simple: hypersonic speed by definition, with a trajectory and ability to maneuver that make defense planning difficult. There is also an operational promise: a conventional rapid strike capability that seeks to shorten the timeline to attack high-value targets without using nuclear weapons.
Industrial development has been highlighted as an important proof of concept. Ingalls Shipbuilding leadership has highlighted Zumwalt’s modernization and trials as “a pivotal milestone,” with Brian Blanchette saying, “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.” This is important because the modernization is not only for the lead ship. The USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002) is also undergoing CPS integration, while the USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) is still in line.
The question is how soon the Navy can transition from metalwork to operational capability. The office has indicated a near-term approach based on ship availability and testing, with Capt. Clint Lawler stating the plan simply: “The plan is to get the ship available this year and then to support initial operational capability when the testing schedule supports that.” At the same time, the Navy’s plan is to employ CPS on a variety of platforms, including future Virginia-class submarines with the Virginia Payload Module.
Even at full integration, the Zumwalt-class is still only three ships, which is a small number for any high-end mission set. However, as a forcing function for a new launch architecture, a new combat system integration, and a strong push towards live fire readiness, the Zumwalt-class is quickly becoming the surface Navy’s most prominent example of what hypersonic strike looks like at sea when it is actually mated to a real ship and not just a PowerPoint presentation.
