The US Navy seeks to transform the modern USS Zumwalt , from a , US$ 4 billion boondoggle into a fast weapons program to issue China’s rising marine can.
This quarter, Defense News , reported , that the US Navy is retrofitting the guided-missile destroyer , USS , Zumwalt with the first shipborne hypersonic weapons, transforming a pricey mistake into a possible strong property.  ,
Defense News says that the , USS , Zumwalt, now at a Mississippi port, is equipped with missile tube replacing its twin turrets from an inert weapons system.  , The , switch will allow the Zumwalt to do quickly, precision strikes from greater distances, enhancing its functional utility.  ,
The Defense News report says the US Navy ‘s , Conventional Prompt Strike , ( CPS)  , hypersonic missile system, developed jointly with the , US , Army, will be installed on the , USS Zumwalt,  , allowing it to launch hypersonic glide vehicles traveling at speeds seven to eight times the speed of sound.  ,
Defense News says this modernization , aims to leverage , USS , Zumwalt’s advanced technology, including electric engine and a subtle layout, despite the ship’s reputation as an expensive mistake.  ,
It mentions that the US is accelerating the development of hypersonic weapons in response to developments by Russia and China, and that the US Navy intends to check the program aboard the Zumwalt by 2027 or 2028.  ,
Asia Times has  , previously , reported , on US plans to shoulder the Zumwalt ships with fast arms.  ,
The fast action reflects an immediate need to store rising threats, including China’s Model 055 cruisers armed with Mach 10 YJ-21 missiles and Russia’s implementation of military nuclear-armed area vessels.  ,
Despite Zumwalt’s advanced stealth, radar and propulsion systems,  , the class has significant potential , vulnerabilities, such as a tumblehome hull prone to instability and the absence of close-in weapons systems , ( CIWS).
Production has been hampered by costs, which have resulted in three units costing$ 4.24 billion each, which raises questions about their suitability as a flexible platform.  ,
Arming the potentially dangerous Zumwalt class with fast weapons may be symptomatic of a more significant , capability , gap in the US Navy as it seeks to prolong the service lives of its aging Ticonderoga-class cruisers.  ,
Ticonderoga-class cruisers are typically around 35 years old and face problems such as cracks and structural deterioration. They also get out of hand and are difficult to keep up, with the high costs of repairs and upkeep likely outpacing their current combat effectiveness.
Nevertheless, The War Zone , reported , this November that the US Navy has reversed its decision to decommission the last of its Ticonderoga-class cruisers by 2027, opting to extend the service lives of three ships—USS Gettysburg, USS Chosin and USS Cape St. George—until 2029.
The extension adds 10 years of cumulative ship service life, according to The War Zone, and aims to maintain operational capacity despite delays and cost overruns in other naval programs.  ,
This action, according to The War Zone, is a part of a wider plan to improve the readiness of crucial naval assets. It mentions that this decision comes after the US Navy announced that 12 of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers will continue serving in the service.  ,
The report states that the Ticonderoga-class cruisers, which have undergone extensive modernization, including upgrades to their Aegis Combat System and other critical systems, will play a vital role in the fleet.
However, it also mentions that the US Navy’s original plan to retire these cruisers was criticized because of concerns about capacity gaps and the high cost of modernization.  ,
However, Asia Times , noted , in January 2024 that despite these efforts, the US Navy faces a” cruiser gap” as it retires Ticonderoga-class cruisers. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, the US Navy ‘s , primary , surface warship, may also already have exhausted their upgrade potential with no more internal space for future upgrades.
China’s Type 055 cruisers and Type 052 destroyers, equipped with advanced missile systems, pose a significant threat, particularly with the deployment of DF-21D and DF-26 anti-ship ballistic missiles and YJ-21 hypersonic missiles.  ,
The US Navy’s modernization efforts are crucial but may not suffice to match China’s numerical superiority, as , historical evidence , suggests that fleet size often trumps technological advantages in naval warfare.
While the US Navy’s DDG ( X ) program aims to replace the Arleigh Burke destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers, it is still in the design and development phase.  ,
The DDG ( X ) will feature advanced technologies, including the Aegis combat system, integrated power systems and enhanced weapon capacity. The design will incorporate 96 standard , vertical , launch , system (VLS )  , cells and the potential for 12 large missile launch cells.  ,
In January 2024, USNI , reported , that the , US Navy is planning a three-year overlap between the construction of its next-generation DDG ( X ) guided-missile destroyers and the current Flight III Arleigh Burke destroyers, aiming to start DDG ( X ) construction in fiscal year 2032.
USNI says the , DDG ( X ) will incorporate the combat systems, sensors and weapons of the , Arleigh Burke , Flight III within a new hull designed for expanded space, weight, power, and cooling to accommodate future high-power equipment and weapons.
However, in June 2023, Asia Times , pointed out , that , the DDG ( X ) program , faces scrutiny over its feasibility and strategic alignment amid evolving naval warfare dynamics.
Incorporating , advanced but unproven technologies such as lasers and hypersonic weapons in the design , may be challenging, as the US faces hurdles in getting its laser and hypersonic weapons programs up to speed.
The DDG ( X ) may also be incompatible with the US Navy ‘s , Distributed Maritime Operations ( DMO ) concept, which emphasizes smaller, dispersed units over larger ships, as they , risk concentrating capabilities in a single, vulnerable asset.  ,
Cost-effectiveness is another contentious issue, with calls to extend the life of the Arleigh Burke destroyers rather than to create a completely new design.
The latest Arleigh Burke Flight III models already feature cutting-edge upgrades, but a planned Flight IV variant was scrapped , to fund nuclear ballistic missile submarines , ( SSBN).  ,
Sustainment and logistical , challenges, such as transitioning industrial capacity and replenishing , VLS , at sea, compound the dilemma.  ,
Meanwhile,  , China ‘s , People’s Liberation Army-Navy ( PLAN ) continues , to expand rapidly. With China ‘s , shipbuilding , capacity , dwarfing , the US’s, it , now has the world’s largest navy in terms of ship numbers.
While US vessels are more technologically advanced, the , US , Navy risks relying too much on costly and untested designs, potentially ceding strategic advantage to a numerically superior Chinese fleet.