Ship Conversion: USS Zumwalt Modified for Hypersonic Missiles
What has been described as the most transformational warship in the U.S. Navy has been transformed again. USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) recently completed modifications to remove her main guns and replace them with a hypersonic missile capability. The work to have her guns removed to make space for new weapons was conducted at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss.
What has been described as the most transformational warship in the U.S. Navy has been transformed again. USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) recently completed modifications to remove her main guns and replace them with a hypersonic missile capability. The work to have her guns removed to make space for new weapons was conducted at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss.
With the modifications, Zumwalt now carries four “all-up round canisters” for the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) missile in place of the forward Advanced Gun System (AGS) gun mount. Each canister can carry three hypersonic CPS missiles. The Army and Navy are jointly testing the new missile, which flies at five times the speed of sound and can strike targets 1,725 miles away.
The CPS missile has long been planned for launched from submarines. In 2023 the Navy contracted with Lockheed Martin adapt the system for use on the DDG 1000 class of surface combatants.
The Zumwalt class is the U.S. Navy’s largest surface combatant, and was originally armed with two AGS mountsa.
“We'll still have some work to do on 1000 in the water, but she will have been on land about a year, where all the big structural work was done,” said Kari Wilkinson, executive vice president of HII and president of Ingalls Shipbuilding . She was recently promoted to serve as president of the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Image courtesy HII
The 600-ft., 14,564-ton Zumwalt arrived at the yard in August of 2023 and was taken out of the water and moved to a land-level area to conduct the structural work. Upon completion, she was moved onto a drydock and then floated on Dec. 6, 2024.
According to Kiana A. Raines, a public affairs officer with Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) , both mounts were removed. “The area previously occupied by Mount 61 — [the forward 155mm or 6-inch gun mount] — will be repurposed for CPS. The space previously taken up by Mount 62 “will remain open for future capabilities.”
The third ship in the class, USS Lyndon Johnson (DDG 1002), already had arrived at Pascagoula in January of 2022, to undergo her combat system activation. DDG 1000 came around from her homeport of San Diego to undergo her replacement of AGS and other repairs.
“We'll still have some work to do on 1000 in the water, but she will have been on land about a year, where all the big structural work was done,” said Kari Wilkinson, executive vice president of HII and president of Ingalls Shipbuilding . She was recently promoted to serve as president of the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
Because Lyndon John is already at the yard, she will also have her AGS system removed. “It will be more efficient with 1002 because they’re already here,” said Wilkinson.
USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001), remains on the West Coast, but will eventually come to Ingalls to have her weapons system updated.
“It made sense for the Navy to choose a build yard to do this work, because of the nature of the work, the amount of structure involved, and having to put the ship on land,” Wilkinson said.