USS Zumwalt Set To Return To Fleet After Long Anticipated Hypersonic Missile Upgrade
Summary
The USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000), a stealth destroyer undergoing extensive modernization, is expected to return to active service by September after receiving new launchers capable of firing Intermediate-Range Conventional Prompt Strike (IRCPS) hypersonic missiles, though the upgrade has run approximately 10 months behind its original schedule. According to a newly released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, the delays stem primarily from unplanned work, including unexpected complications from shutting down and restarting the ship's notoriously complex Integrated Power System (IPS) for the first time since delivery, as well as the need for significantly more cabling than initially anticipated. The ship's original 155mm Advanced Gun Systems have been replaced by four new launch tubes, each capable of holding three IRCPS missiles, while the vessel has also received expanded fuel capacity and routine maintenance as part of the broader Build Yard Modernization Period (BYMP). Cost overruns have pushed the estimated price tag for upgrading all three Zumwalt-class destroyers from $1.8 billion to at least $2 billion, with 230,000 additional labor hours added to the contract at a cost of $20 million. The Navy intends to apply lessons learned from the USS Zumwalt's upgrade to the ongoing work on the future USS Lyndon B. Johnson and the upcoming modernization of USS Michael Monsoor, while also planning to eventually integrate IRCPS onto Block V Virginia-class submarines.
Key Takeaways
- 1. The USS Zumwalt is expected to return to fleet service by September after a hypersonic missile upgrade that ran roughly 10 months behind schedule due to unplanned technical and logistical complications
- 2. The ship's original Advanced Gun Systems have been replaced with four launch tubes capable of carrying up to 12 IRCPS hypersonic missiles in total, significantly enhancing the vessel's long-range strike capability
- 3. The IRCPS missile, shared with the U.S. Army's "Dark Eagle" program, uses a hypersonic boost-glide vehicle that is extremely difficult to detect, track, or intercept, making it a highly valuable asset against heavily defended targets
- 4. Total upgrade costs for all three Zumwalt-class destroyers have grown from $1.8 billion to at least $2 billion, reflecting the challenges of being the first Navy program to integrate hypersonic weapons onto a warship
- 5. Delays have cascaded across the entire Zumwalt-class modernization program, pushing back the USS Lyndon B. Johnson's delivery to April 2027 and delaying the first live at-sea IRCPS test launch to next year