By Kassidy New
USS Zumwalt, also known as DDG-1000, is the newest Navy Warship. Construction started on this ship in February of 2009. DDG-1000 Launched on October 29,2013 and was officially put into commission in 2016. Zumwalt is not only the newsiest ship but also the largest and the most technologically advanced in the U.S Navys fleet. “Zumwalt is the lead ship of the next generation multi mission destroys designed to strengthen navy power from the sea” as stated in All Hands Magazine. DDG-1000 has Advanced Gun Systems (AGS). The ship has two AGS that fire Long Range land Attack Projectiles (LRLAP) that reach up to 63 nautical miles. Alongside the AGS Zumwalt has a Multi-Function Radar (MFR). The Navy can use MFR to conduct area air surveillance. The Navy has two other Zumwalt-class destroyers, they are the USS Michael Monsoor and the USS Lyndon B. Johnson. “All three Zumwalt-Class destroyers cost the Navy almost 22.4 billion in development and research.” says Marielle Descalsota from Insider.
All during the production and testing of these multimillion-dollar battleships, the future of these three ships seemed very bright, after being deemed active they were later taken out of commission due to the countless malfunctions and misfortunes all three ships faced. For instance, the issues they faced were poorly functioning weapons, engine stalling, and underperformance in the stealth capabilities, along with many other complications. These ships with all these problems still came in 50 percent over budget.
With all these challenges, the Navy is still pushing through. There have been rumors of 96 new large surface combatants by 2045. At the WEST 2022 conference in San Diego, they released a plan for a future fleet of 50 small and 60 large combatants and being able to maintain the 2:1 ratio of cruisers and destroyers to the Frigates and Littoral Combat ships. For more information on these topics, you can visit Forbes.com, insider.com, nationalinterest.org and allhands.navy.mil
