USS Zumwalt , shown here undocking, recently completed modernisation for hypersonic missile capability. (HII)
HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding division successfully undocked guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) on 6 December, which marked the completion of significant modernisation work at Ingalls since the ship arrived at the Pascagoula shipyard in August 2023, they said in a release.
Ingalls was awarded a USD154.8 million contract modification in August 2023 for the modernisation to receive technology upgrades including the integration of the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon system.
“In partnership with the navy we are steadfast in our commitment to complete this complex work that adds significant hypersonic capability to Zumwalt ,” HII president and CEO Chris Kastner said in the statement on 6 December.
DDG 1000s were originally designed with an emphasis on naval surface fire support (NSFS) and operations in the littorals. Zumwalt initially featured two new design 155 mm guns called Advanced Gun Systems (AGSs) to fire a new 155 mm, gun-launched, rocket-assisted guided projectile called the Long Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP).
In November 2016 the navy opted to stop procuring LRLAP projectiles because they were too expensive. It then decided in December 2017 to shift from an emphasis on NSFS to an emphasis on surface strike.
The service decided to remove one of the AGSs on each ship, along with its associated below-deck equipment, and replace it with large-diameter vertical launch tubes capable of storing and firing CPS.
As part of the recently completed modernisation effort, Ingalls replaced the original twin 155 mm AGSs on the destroyers with new missile tubes.
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