The U.S. Navy just gave the troubled Zumwalt-class destroyer a stunning second life by ripping out its failed Advanced Gun System and replacing it with 12 Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missile launchers. The lead ship, USS Zumwalt, completed sea trials this year carrying the Mach 5+ weapons, while the USS Lyndon B. Johnson and USS Michael Monsoor remain in refit awaiting their own upgrades.
Zumwalt-Class vs. the Trump ‘Battleship’
(April 21, 2021) The Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) leads a formation including the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), USS Spruance (DDG 111), USS Pinckney (91), and USS Kidd (DDG 100), and the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) during U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Unmanned Systems Integrated Battle Problem (UxS IBP) 21, April 21. UxS IBP 21 integrates manned and unmanned capabilities into challenging operational scenarios to generate warfighting advantages. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon Renfroe)
The U.S. Navy’s Zumwalt-class destroyers were doomed at one time. Over-promised and under-delivered, these ships could not catch a break. But the Navy did not give up. The plan now is to enable the Zumwalt-class to fire hypersonic missiles. The lead ship of the class, the USS Zumwalt, completed sea trials this year and has received the upgrade.
The Navy has removed the ship’s troubled Advanced Gun System and replaced it with 12 Conventional Prompt Strike launchers. So far, the Zumwalt is the only vessel of the class that can fire hypersonics. The USS Lyndon B. Johnson and the USS Michael Monsoor are still in refit for the upgrades.
The Potential for Massive Shore Strike Was Once Irresistible
The Zumwalts were originally designed to deliver a devastating capability with the 155mm Advanced Gun System to attack land targets, support U.S. Marine Corps amphibious operations, and prepare landing zones to establish a beachhead. They were also planned to attack enemy ships and help with anti-aircraft duty.
But the Ammunition Was Too Expensive
Zumwalt-Class U.S. Navy Image.
Zumwalt-Class U.S. Navy. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The Advanced Gun System fired the precision-guided Long-Range Land Attack Projectile with a maximum range of 100 nautical miles. This munition did not work out because it cost around $800,000 to $1 million per round. This investment obviously made no sense, and the Navy canceled that feature of the Zumwalt-class.
The decision led to accusations that the Zumwalt-class was a boondoggle, since the ships were effectively not combat-effective without a main gun.
Enter Hypersonic Missile Launchers
So, in 2023, the Navy developed a solution. Remove the Advanced Guns System and replace it with hypersonic missile launchers. This would not be easy, as the new system would need space below decks to be configured. This upgrade was going to take a significant amount of time and money.
The Navy was undeterred, and workers on the USS Zumwalt installed four 87-inch missile tubes on the bow, each with an Advanced Payload Module. Three Conventional Prompt Strike missiles could be fired from a single tube, giving the Zumwalt-class 12 hypersonic missiles on board.
The Navy did not have to re-create the wheel. The launchers are similar to those that are installed on the Navy’s Virginia-class Block V submarines. If Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonics work well with the Zumwalts, then the Navy will fire the weapons from the Virginia-class as well.
Trump-Class Battleship. Image Credit: White House.
Trump-Class Battleship. Image Credit: White House.
How Does Conventional Prompt Strike Work?
Conventional Prompt Strike has a two-stage booster and a Common Hypersonic Glide Body that flies over MACH 5. The glide body separates from the booster and maneuvers to its target without risk of interception.
Trump Wants His Own Battleship
So this plan is working out. However, the Zumwalts are competing with another missile boat called the Trump-class USS Defiant battleship. This monster aims to be a barge chock with munitions. The Navy is planning for the Defiant to also have a 12-tube launcher for the Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missile.
The proposal for the USS Defiant includes the Trump-class battleship equipped with 128 Vertical Launch Cells, each carrying missiles capable of destroying ships, aircraft, and submarines. The featured munition is the Tomahawk cruise missile. There may also be nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles and a powerful rail gun.
Can the Navy Afford Both Programs?
Can the Navy afford to continue hypersonic missile upgrades on the Zumwalts, along with the new Trump-class battleship? The USS Defiant could cost between $17 billion and $19 billion. That is more than a Ford-class aircraft carrier.
Installing the hypersonic missile launch tubes on the Zumwalts has already set the Navy back $154.8 million, included in a contract with Huntington Ingalls Industries. That doesn’t seem too bad. But here’s the kicker. The Congressional Research Service reckons that buying and maintaining 300 Conventional Prompt Strike missiles over the next 20 years would cost $18 billion. Moreover, each Zumwalt-class ship costs $7.5 billion.
These sunk costs keep getting worse for the Navy. Giving the Zumwalt-class a new and extended service life is a good idea, but does the required investment make sense? The Navy might be throwing good money after bad, but canceling the class would sting too, after all the dollars invested.
Political Headwinds for the Trump-class Battleship
The main worry I see with the Trump class is the risk of political pressure. This year’s midterm elections could bring the Democrats to leadership positions in both chambers of Congress. The party is polling better than the Republicans on generic-ballot surveys for Congress. With the Democrats in charge of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, they could ignore the Trump-class battleship proposal. Anything with the Trump name will be scrutinized and likely abandoned.
The Zumwalt-class could be green-lit for the other two ships of the class to receive the hypersonic weapon upgrade. If the Trump-class were canceled, at least the Navy would have three plus-MACH 5 missile boats.
What Will the Navy and Congress Decide?
This is a tough decision for the maritime branch. The Trump-class is equipped with a diverse range of munitions that appeal to proponents of naval power. The Zumwalt-class has been a money pit that should probably have been canceled when the gun system did not work out. I don’t expect Congress to approve both programs at once.
Taking Baby Steps on the Trump-class
Let’s see how the midterms play out and what the National Defense Authorization Act looks like in 2027. This will be the big test for both the Trump-class and Zumwalt-class. At this point, if I were advising the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Defense, I would support allocating $100 million in research and development funds to see how all the weapons will be deployed on the Trump-class battleships. Then I would recommend fully funding the Zumwalt-class.
I don’t love my decision, but there seems to be little hope that the Navy can fully execute both programs. Without a Republican-controlled Congress, the Trump-class has a rocky future ahead, and the Navy just may have to rely on the Zumwalt-class to execute its hypersonic weapons plan.
About the Author: Brent M. Eastwood, PhD
Author of now over 3,500 articles on defense issues, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: A Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
