The future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) has begun sea trials in the Atlantic Ocean. The largest destroyer ever built for the US Navy and the first of three Zumwalt-class destroyers left the General Dynamics' Bath Iron Works and traveled down the Kennebec River in Maine on Monday in the first of a series of tests leading up to her commissioning next year.
The Zumwalt is notable not only for its size, but also for its distinct tumblehome hull composite superstructure, which is part of a suite of advanced stealth features that reduce the ship's radar profile by a factor of 50 over current destroyer designs.
Carrying a crew of 130 and an air detachment of 28, the destroyer is armed with two 115 mm Advanced Gun Systems (AGS) firing rocket-powered precision Long-Range Land Attack Projectiles (LRLAP) with a range of 63 nm (117 km), which is three times greater than current surface gunnery.
In addition, there are 80 MK-41 peripheral vertical launch system (VLS) missile cells, a stern ramp for launching two Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats, and a flight deck for two MH-60R or one MH-60R and 3 VT Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The Navy says this is the first US warship to incorporate the Integrated Power System (IPS), which is an all-electric system powered by gas turbines. This design was chosen not only chosen for economy and survivability, but also in anticipation of future energy weapons.
Named after former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Elmo R "Bud" Zumwalt Jr, construction of the US$4 billion Zumwalt began in 2009 and it was launched in 2014. The Navy says that it's designed to operate independently in forward areas to provide presence and deterrence, as well as operating with joint and combined expeditionary forces as a multi-mission Anti-Air Warfare, Anti-Submarine Warfare, and Anti-Surface Warfare unit.
Originally, 32 of the Zumwalt-class ships were ordered, but cost overruns reduced this to three. Construction is already underway on the Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) and the Lyndon B Johnson (DDG 1001).
The video below shows the future USS Zumwalt taking to the seas.
Source: US Navy
3 whole ships, WOW, that will stop an enemy dead in their tracks!
Our government has to be the most brain dead bureaucratic group of "smart" people on planet Earth. This ship is revolutionary, so I expect a high price tag, but they need to keeps things within reason. It should not cost 4.4 billion dollars to build one ship!
In 50 years I predict our Navy will have the most advanced ship ever conceived by mankind, full of immeasurable weaponry, full stealth in optical/thermal/radar, with a fusion reactor to power it to a top speed of 200mph! The only problem...we can only afford to build one, it'll be the only ship in are naval "fleet".
If they were able to build future ships cheaper now that they have done all the tooling and R&D it might not be a complete waste of money. Sometimes the high upfront costs of automation are worth the return.
If you think about it if it's possible to drive and shoot tanks with only 1 or 2 players in video games the same is pretty much true in real life. You could shave off a ton of weight and cost in the process. Something like a smaller MRAP with better guns.
You are correct that the government is brain dead. This is the process:
Committee to design new ship. Committee to review proposals. Congressional debate to accept Navy's recommendation. Approval to develop plans. Contractors paid to do prototyping and demonstrator models. Selection of final version. Contractor awarded contract.
Then, this is the important part: ALL THAT COST is assigned to the finished project. "ZOMG! The $1 bn destroyer is going to cost $1.5 Bn. Cut back from 32 to 25. ZOMG! They're now $1.6 bn each. Cut back to 15! ZOMG! The price keeps increasing the fewer we build! Just do the three on the cancellation order and write it off. $4.4 bn each. GREEDY CONTRACTORS!"
BTW, for comparison, the flyaway cost of a new top of the line jumbo jet is about a half billion. So, really, these ships are not that expensive.
During WWII the Japanese figured they would rule the Pacific with two battle fleets, each headed up by one of two gigantic battleships. But in fact they because so important to the Japanese that they were afraid to risk them in battle and both saw very little action. They were just too big (and expensive) to fail.