WASHINGTON : After years of uncertainty, redesign, and deep refit, the U.S. Navy’s most controversial surface combatant has returned to open water. USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000), the lead ship of the Zumwalt-class destroyers, has departed Pascagoula, Mississippi, to begin sea trials—marking its emergence as the world’s first destroyer configured to carry long-range hypersonic missiles.
The trials represent a pivotal moment not only for Zumwalt herself, but for the future of U.S. naval strike doctrine. Once envisioned as a next-generation gunship for littoral warfare, the 15,000-ton stealth destroyer has now been repurposed into a platform for intercontinental-range conventional strike, placing it at the center of America’s effort to field operational hypersonic weapons at sea.
From Troubled Gunship to Hypersonic Platform
The Zumwalt-class was originally designed around the 155mm Advanced Gun System (AGS), intended to deliver long-range naval gunfire support for forces ashore. That concept collapsed when the ammunition program became prohibitively expensive, leaving the Navy with three uniquely large destroyers and no viable mission for their signature weapons.
Beginning in 2023, the Navy committed to a radical solution: remove both gun systems entirely and convert the ships to carry the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic missile. The decision transformed Zumwalt from an orphaned experimental vessel into a testbed for one of the Pentagon’s most strategically significant weapon systems.
Both Advanced Gun Systems have now been fully removed. The forward gun housing on Zumwalt was completely scrapped to make room for hypersonic missile cells, while the second gun emplacement was gutted internally, freeing up substantial volume below deck for additional systems and future growth.
Hypersonic Firepower at Sea
At the heart of the modernization is the integration of the Conventional Prompt Strike system, a non-nuclear hypersonic weapon designed to strike time-sensitive, high-value targets at extreme range. The system uses a two-stage solid rocket booster to accelerate a Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) to speeds well above Mach 5 before it separates and maneuvers toward its target.
Unlike ballistic missiles, the glide vehicle travels on a lower, unpredictable trajectory, complicating detection and interception. While conventionally armed, its range is comparable to some intercontinental systems, enabling rapid global strike without crossing the nuclear threshold.
USS Zumwalt will carry 12 CPS missiles housed in newly installed Advanced Payload Modules in the forward section of the ship. These modules are nearly identical to those planned for future Block V fast-attack submarines, allowing the surface ship installation to serve as a near one-to-one risk-reduction effort for submarine deployment.
When fully operational, Zumwalt will become the first ship in the United States Navy inventory armed with hypersonic missiles.
A Three-Year Overhaul Nears Completion
According to briefings presented at the Surface Navy Association symposium, the ship’s modernization period lasted roughly three years in dry dock. Construction work was completed in late 2025, with installation of the hypersonic payload modules finalized in November.
The ship has since begun the complex reactivation of onboard systems, a prerequisite for dockside testing and the current phase of sea trials. These trials will focus on propulsion, ship handling, power distribution, combat-system integration, and validation of the CPS launch infrastructure.
Oversight of the program has been led by Naval Sea Systems Command, working in coordination with the U.S. Navy and industry partners.
A Class-Wide Transformation
The Zumwalt is only the first of three ships to undergo the hypersonic conversion. USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) and USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002) are scheduled to receive the same 12-missile CPS configuration.
Work on Lyndon B. Johnson has already begun, with the forward gun mount removed and major “rip-out” activities completed to strip obsolete equipment. The ship is expected to return to service before Michael Monsoor enters dry dock in 2027 for her own modernization period.
Once complete, all three Zumwalt-class destroyers will form a small but uniquely capable strike force, able to deliver hypersonic weapons from the surface fleet for the first time.
Sensors, Radars, and the Road Ahead
Beyond weapons integration, the Navy is also evaluating further upgrades to the class’s electronics and sensor suite. Particular attention is being paid to radar modernization, with officials signaling interest in a more common approach across major surface combatants and aircraft carriers.
One option under consideration is greater alignment between Zumwalt-class systems and those used aboard the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, especially in relation to the AN/SPY-3 and AN/SPY-4 radar families. Such commonality could reduce long-term sustainment costs while improving fleet-wide interoperability.
Strategic Implications
The return of USS Zumwalt to sea as a hypersonic-armed destroyer marks a quiet but profound shift in naval warfare. For the first time, the United States is fielding a surface combatant capable of delivering prompt, global-reach conventional strikes—compressing decision timelines for adversaries and expanding the Navy’s role in strategic deterrence.
Once criticized as an expensive misstep, the Zumwalt may now emerge as a prototype for a new era of surface strike warfare, where stealth, power generation, and hypersonic weapons converge on a single hull.
