Page 33: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 2025)

U.S. NAVY

USS ZUMWALT

MODIFIED FOR

HYPERSONIC MISSILES

What has been described as the most transformational warship in the U.S. Navy has been transformed again. USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) recently completed modi? cations to remove her main guns and replace them with a hypersonic missile capability. The work was conducted at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss.

By Edward Lundquist hat has been described as the most trans- removed. “The area previously occupied by Mount 61 — [the formational warship in the U.S. Navy forward 155mm or 6-inch gun mount] — will be repurposed has been transformed again.USS Zum- for CPS. The space previously taken up by Mount 62 “will walt (DDG 1000) recently completed remain open for future capabilities.”

Wmodi? cations to remove her main guns The third ship in the class, USS Lyndon Johnson (DDG and replace them with a hypersonic missile capability. The work 1002), already had arrived at Pascagoula in January of 2022, was conducted at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss. to undergo her combat system activation. DDG 1000 came

With the modi? cations, Zumwalt now carries four “all-up around from her homeport of San Diego to undergo her re- round canisters” for the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) placement of AGS and other repairs. missile in place of the forward Advanced Gun System (AGS) “We’ll still have some work to do on 1000 in the water, gun mount. Each canister can carry three hypersonic CPS mis- but she will have been on land about a year, where all the big siles. The Army and Navy are jointly testing the new missile, structural work was done,” said Kari Wilkinson, executive which ? ies at ? ve times the speed of sound and can strike vice president of HII and president of Ingalls Shipbuilding. targets 1,725 miles away. She was recently promoted to serve as president of the com-

The CPS missile has long been planned for launched from pany’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division, effec- submarines. In 2023 the Navy contracted with Lockheed tive Jan. 1, 2025.

Martin adapt the system for use on the DDG 1000 class of Because Lyndon John is already at the yard, she will also surface combatants. have her AGS system removed. “It will be more ef? cient with

The Zumwalt class is the U.S. Navy’s largest surface com- 1002 because they’re already here,” said Wilkinson.

batant, and was originally armed with two AGS mountsa. The third ship in the class, USS Michael Monsoor (DDG

The 600-ft., 14,564-ton Zumwalt arrived at the yard in August 1001), remains on the West Coast, but will eventually come to of 2023 and was taken out of the water and moved to a land- Ingalls to have her weapons system updated.

level area to conduct the structural work. Upon completion, she “It made sense for the Navy to choose a build yard to do was moved onto a drydock and then ? oated on Dec. 6, 2024. this work, because of the nature of the work, the amount

According to Kiana A. Raines, a public affairs of? cer with of structure involved, and having to put the ship on land,”

Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), both mounts were Wilkinson said.

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