Photos released by the US Navy revealed the presence of the ZUMWALT-class destroyer in the USS NIMITZ Carrier Strike Group, deployed in the US 7th Fleet area of operations, which covers the Western Pacific Ocean.
The NIMITZ, currently the oldest of the carriers in active service, was deployed to replace her younger sister CARL VINSON as the latter was re-tasked by the Pentagon to CENTCOM’s area of responsibility in the Middle East to support operations against the Houthi and deterrence against Iran. The nearly 16,000-ton destroyer was commissioned in 2019 and is homeported at Naval Base San Diego in California. It was seen leaving port at the end of March for deployment but no detail was released about her mission and about how long she’ll stay at sea.
Being the second of the 3 ZUMWALT-class ships, she is scheduled to enter dry dock next year to be modified in the same way as lead ship, DDG1000 ZUMWALT, to embark Prompt Global Strike hypersonic missiles. USS LYNDON B. JOHNSON (DDG-1002), the third and final ship in the class, is expected to precede her getting the hypersonic missiles fit because work on her was halted before AGS was even installed, and less work will thus be required to modify the vessel.
The ZUMWALTs were originally conceived as “strike ships” primarily meant for striking targets inland, both with TOMAHAWK missiles and with their twin battery of 155 mm guns. Their advanced guns with special, purpose-designed, long range rocket-assisted ammunition ended up proving too expensive for their “output” and are now planned to be disembarked entirely to be replaced by hypersonic missiles and, potentially, extra MK41 VLS cells in due course.
The Prompt Global Strike weapon is the naval “variant” of the DARK EAGLE employed by the US Army. In its naval application, it is fired out of Large Diameter Tubes (themselves derived from the TRIDENT tubes found on SSBNs) fitted with an internal frame with 3 cells. The removal of a single 155 mm tower from ZUMWALT results in enough space to install a module with 4 large diameter tube, resulting in a load of 12 hypersonic, boost-glide PGS/DARK EAGLEs.
It is not yet clear what will be done with the space freed by disembarking the second gun tower: a MK41 installation might happen to add to the 80 MK57 cells arranged peripherally around the hull. Initially, the anti-air capability of these ships was going be strictly limited but that is gradually changing and might eventually see radar capability upgraded and even some degree of AEGIS combat system retrofit.
The DDG1000s can employ SM-2 Block III missiles and ESSM and the SM-6 is supposed to follow, also as an hypersonic anti-ship weapon option thanks to its multi-role capability. The Maritime Strike TOMAHAWK Block Va should also be integrated in the near future to increase the potential of the stealth destroyer as “ship-killer”.
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