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By Ryan Chan
China News Reporter
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A United States warship recently completed sea trials following upgrades to launch hypersonic missiles capable of striking targets at over five times the speed of sound.
USS Zumwalt, one of three Zumwalt-class stealth destroyers, underwent modernization to become the first U.S. Navy platform capable of launching the Conventional Prompt Strike, or CPS, a hypersonic boost-glide missile designed to defeat enemy defenses.
Why It Matters
Given their unique ability to maneuver during flight, hypersonic missiles are extremely difficult to detect, track or intercept with current defense systems. The U.S. and its military rivals, notably China and Russia, are racing to develop and field such weapons.
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The upgrade of the Zumwalt comes after China, which aims to displace the U.S. as the world's most powerful country, has equipped its navy with hypersonic missiles capable of sinking U.S. warships should Washington intervene militarily in the western Pacific.
As part of efforts to bolster its sea power amid rivalry with China, the U.S. has drawn up an ambitious naval buildup plan known as the Golden Fleet, which is expected to be centered on the Trump-class battleships designed to launch CPS hypersonic missiles.
What To Know
In a press release on Wednesday, Ingalls Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, said the Zumwalt conducted a comprehensive series of at-sea testing events.
Photos shared on social media show the Zumwalt leaving Pascagoula in Mississippi on January 15 and returning the following day, marking the first time the warship was sent to sea since August 2023, when it arrived at the Pascagoula shipyard for modernization.
According to Ingalls Shipbuilding, the Zumwalt replaced its twin gun systems with new missile tubes. An official presentation shows that the vessel is now equipped with four large cells carrying a total of 12 CPS missiles, the defense outlet Naval News reported.
Missile tubes were installed in the space occupied by the forward gun mount, while the space under the aft mount is reserved for future capabilities. The ship is also equipped with a vertical launch system consisting of 80 cells to launch non-hypersonic missiles.
Meanwhile, one of the Zumwalt's sister ships, USS Lyndon B. Johnson, is undergoing modernization to integrate the CPS weapon system. The remaining ship, USS Michael Monsoor, will receive upgrades during a future availability, Ingalls Shipbuilding said.
The Zumwalt-class destroyers will also change their home ports from San Diego, California, to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and are expected to arrive in mid-2028, according to Naval News.
"These ships will be capable of performing a range of deterrence, power projection, sea control, and command and control missions while allowing Navy to evolve with new systems and missions," Ingalls Shipbuilding said of the Zumwalt-class destroyers.
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What People Are Saying
Brian Blanchette, Ingalls Shipbuilding president, said: "We have achieved a pivotal milestone with our Navy and industry partners to advance this complex modernization work that will set a precedent for the Zumwalt class…I'm very proud of the team effort and their critical role to advance the U.S. Navy's first warship with hypersonic capabilities."
The U.S. Navy said: "Stealthy, powerful, and lethal, the Navy created the Zumwalt-class to bridge from current needs to future capabilities, adding space and power accommodating systems not yet imagined but designed to counter adversaries that challenge us now and in the decades to come."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen when the Zumwalt will return to service and commence its first deployment in the Pacific with hypersonic missiles to signal U.S. naval strength.
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