Fixing a Costly Mistake: US Continues to Make Plans to Arm Three Zumwalt Destroyers with Hypersonic Weapons
US Navy plans to equip hypersonic weapons stealth destroyer USS Zumwalt. This was reported by the Associated Press. The publication notes that in this way, an expensive and unsuccessful development will be transformed into a powerful weapon.
The USS Zumwalt is at a shipyard in Mississippi where workers are installing missile shafts that replace twin towers artillery system that was never activated due to its high cost. Once the system is ready, Zumwalt will be a platform for delivering fast, precise strikes from long distances, increasing the utility of the warship.
- says the publication.
It is emphasized that the development of hypersonic weapons has been carried out in the United States for the alleged past 20 years. However, the Russian Federation and China have managed to bypass the United States in this component.
Tests by Russia and China have increased pressure on the U.S. military to speed up production.
– notes AP.
Experts with some knowledge of the work in question note that one of the programs being developed in the United States for the Zumwalt-class destroyers is “Conventional Rapid Strike.”
It is launched like a ballistic missile and then releases a hypersonic glide vehicle that travels at seven to eight times the speed of sound before hitting its target. The weapon system is being developed jointly by the Navy fleet and the Army. Each Zumwalt-class destroyer will be equipped with four missile launchers, each of which will carry three missiles, for a total of 12 hypersonic missiles per ship.
- emphasizes the publication.
Experts say the Navy's choice of the Zumwalt is no accident. The Navy is trying to improve the efficiency of the $7,5 billion warship, which critics say is a costly mistake despite serving as a test bed for many innovations.
Zumwalt was supposed to provide a land-attack capability with an advanced artillery system that would launch rockets that would open a path for Marines to land. But the system, with 155-millimeter guns hidden in stealth turrets, was canceled because each rocket-propelled projectile cost between $800 and $000 million.
– reminds the author of the material.
At the same time, he admits that, despite the blemishes on their reputation, the three Zumwalt-class destroyers remain the most advanced surface warships in the US Navy in terms of new technologies. But the US, while making plans to arm them with hypersonic missiles, still cannot decide where to apply these “advanced technologies.” Especially considering that there have already been cases when the “advanced” stealth destroyer Zumwalt had to be towed to a military base by non-advanced tugs after problems with the propulsion system were discovered.
Information