{"id":24322,"date":"2026-02-03T19:02:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T19:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=24322"},"modified":"2026-02-03T19:02:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T19:02:19","slug":"uss-zumwalt-returns-to-sea-with-hypersonic-missiles-after-major-upgrade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=24322","title":{"rendered":"USS Zumwalt Returns To Sea With Hypersonic Missiles After Major Upgrade"},"content":{"rendered":"

USS Zumwalt Returns To Sea With Hypersonic Missiles After Major Upgrade
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Image Credits: US Navy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The USS Zumwalt, the lead ship of the U.S. Navy\u2019s Zumwalt-class destroyers, has returned to sea trials after three years following a major modernisation.<\/p>\n

The upgrade replaces the ship\u2019s expensive naval guns with missile tubes for the Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic weapon.<\/p>\n

The destroyer had been docked since summer 2023 while the Navy removed its two 155mm Advanced Gun Systems, which were considered too costly to operate.<\/p>\n

Each shell for these guns cost about $1 million, compared with $3,000\u2013$4,000 for standard NATO artillery rounds.<\/p>\n

The redesign also freed up space beneath the former gun mounts and allows room for future upgrades.<\/p>\n

Originally designed for stealthy support of near-shore operations, the Zumwalt is now focused on long-range strike missions in open waters.<\/p>\n

The three-ship class limits its overall scale, but the addition of hypersonic weapons gives it a new role.<\/p>\n

Named after former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, the class was initially intended to include over 30 ships.<\/p>\n

Analysts have said that unrealistic cost estimates, immature technologies, and integration challenges led to the reduction to just three ships.<\/p>\n

Cost overruns were large enough to trigger the Nunn-McCurdy Act, which mandates review when defence projects exceed budget projections.<\/p>\n

The Zumwalt-class is known for its unique tumblehome hull, designed to reduce radar detection, and the extensive use of composite materials.<\/p>\n

Automation reduces crew size, and the ships generate significant electricity, intended to support future advanced weapons.<\/p>\n

The Advanced Gun System was meant to support land forces during amphibious operations.<\/p>\n

However, the guns were incompatible with standard 155mm artillery shells, making them effectively unusable.<\/p>\n

Reference: 19fortyfive<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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USS Zumwalt Returns To Sea With Hypersonic Missiles After Major Upgrade Image Credits: US Navy The USS Zumwalt, the lead ship of the U.S. Navy\u2019s Zumwalt-class destroyers, has returned to sea trials after three years following a major modernisation. The upgrade replaces the ship\u2019s expensive naval guns with missile tubes for the Conventional Prompt Strike […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194,196],"tags":[197],"class_list":["post-24322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marine-insight","category-shipping-news","tag-marine-insight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24322"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24322"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24322\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}