Hypersonic Missiles Are Coming Soon To the US Navy's Cutting-Edge Zumwalt-Class Destroyers

The primary focus of the US Navy's research and development is on hypersonic missiles, built to exceed the speed of sound. Originally, these missiles were intended to be launched from cruise-missile submarines, with future plans to expand their use to additional naval ships. However, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday has announced that the Navy will first deploy hypersonic missiles on Zumwalt -class guided-missile destroyers.

What is a hypersonic missile?

The Navy categorizes the hypersonic missile as a "conventional prompt strike weapon," using a standard hypersonic glide body developed in collaboration with the US Army. This body, housing the warhead, is propelled into flight by a conventional rocket booster. After detachment, the missile continues its trajectory toward the target.

While maintaining a constant speed, it retains its maneuverability.

The maneuverability is what makes hypersonic missiles so dangerous

This maneuvering capability, rather than its ability to exceed Mach 5, presents a challenge for defense systems, as all current defensive measures are not tailored to counter such missiles. This specific characteristic has elevated hypersonic missiles to a focal point of competition among the United States, Russia and China.

What is the Zumwalt -class of guided-missile destroyers?

The Zumwalt -class of guided-missile destroyers consists of just three ships: the USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) and the upcoming Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002). The lead ship was first delivered to the Navy in May 2016 and commissioned a few months later.

The guided-missile destroyers were designed by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems , and Raytheon Company served as the systems integrator. General Dynamics Bath Iron Works , Lockheed Martin , BAE Systems Land and Armament , and Boeing worked on the project as well.

The Navy is waiting on hypersonic missile development

The Zumwalt -class are designed to operate in littoral waters, so the Navy is working to outfit them as blue-water surface warfare and naval-strike platforms. Their primary weapon was to be the Advanced Gun System, with its pair of 155 mm guns using Long Range Land Attack Projectiles. Reducing the number of Zumwalt -class ships to three raised the price per shell of ammunition to nearly $1 million per round, so the service was forced to reconsider its original plans.

The main issues facing the Navy before it can implement the plan are that the hypersonic missiles aren't completely developed yet, and the vertical-launch-system cells on the Zumwalt -class destroyers aren't large enough to hold the new missiles.

The Virginia -class submarines may be next

In the middle of March 2021, the Navy solicited defense industry partners for ways to reconfigure the Zumwalt- class vessels, so they could handle the new hypersonic missiles. In the solicitation, they requested an advanced payload module that could carry the missiles in a “three-pack configuration.”

Gilday also mentioned that the Navy is looking for ways to use the power-generating abilities of the Zumwalt -class to use direct-energy weapons as a defense against emerging threats.

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After outfitting the Zumwalt -class guided-missile destroyers with the hypersonic missiles, the Navy plans to add the weapons to their Virginia -class submarines. The goal is to have the missiles on the former by 2025.