The American low-profile destroyer Zumwalt wants to equip a new hypersonic weapons system in 2025. By that time, Russia should have already put into operation the sea-based missile "Zircon".
The United States is actively trying to catch up in the development of hypersonic weapons systems. Now the timing of equipping the new complex of" scandalous " Zumwalt destroyers has become known.
[...] The chief of naval operations, Admiral Michael Gilday, spoke about equipping the ship with a hypersonic weapons system. The Zumwalt destroyers will be the first US Navy ships capable of using the new weapons. "The installation of hypersonic missiles on Zumwalt-class destroyers will be an important step forward in order to turn them into attack platforms," the military said.
Initially, it was assumed that the deployment of weapons would begin with Virginia-class submarines, but apparently, the approach was decided to reconsider. The Navy expects to install the first hypersonic weapons systems at Zumwalt in 2025.
The admiral did not specify what kind of weapon it is, but experts believe that the ships will receive a missile with the so-called Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB). This is a hypersonic glider, which is created both for the needs of the US Navy and to meet the needs of the Ground Forces.
Full-size mock-up of the Common-Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) universal guided maneuverable gliding hypersonic warhead)
Image source: twitter
The Zumwalt destroyers were to be one of the most powerful warships ever built. Being designed from the very beginning to minimize radar visibility, they had the ability to "sneak up" on the coastline and bring down the enemy fire of high-precision guns.
Despite the innovative concept, the program was constantly plagued by setbacks. The high price of the ship led to the fact that the fleet received only three of the 32 destroyers intended for construction. The last of them-the USS Lyndon B. Johnson-was launched on December 9, 2018.
The drastic reduction in the number of Zumwalt-class ships was just the tip of the iceberg of trouble. The Navy for a long time could not determine the concept of the use of the destroyer, constantly reviewing the options for its weapons and delaying the timing of tests. In this sense, the decision to turn the ship into a platform for hypersonic weapons can be considered a turning point of the program.
However, by the time the Zumwalt is equipped with new weapons, the Russian navy will almost certainly receive a hypersonic missile "Zircon" . This is brought closer by the active tests of the product carried out in recent years. You can watch one of them [...] in the video.
