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| Science & Technology |
| The Zumwalts That Wouldn't Die - 3 Brave Ships Against the Budget, I mean the World |
| 2026-08-17 |
| [19Fortyfive] The U.S. Navy once planned to buy 32 Zumwalt-class destroyers. It built three. The Government Accountability Office now places the acquisition cost at $10.6 billion per ship, more than seven times the original unit estimate. That figure includes research and development spread across only three hulls, rather than representing the shipyard price of each vessel. The class was supposed to restore heavy naval gunfire after the Iowa-class battleships left service. Each 610-foot ship was built around two 155mm Advanced Gun Systems, a 600-round magazine, and 80 peripheral vertical-launch cells for Tomahawk, Evolved SeaSparrow, Standard, and anti-submarine missiles. Stealth shaping, electric propulsion, automation, and a reduced crew were meant to make the Zumwalt the model for a new generation of surface combatants. The central weapon never entered operational service. The Long Range Land Attack Projectile, or LRLAP, rose to an estimated $800,000 to $1 million per round after the fleet collapsed to three ships. The Navy stopped buying the ammunition, leaving six large guns across the class without a practical combat round. The replacement mission is also expensive and late. A July 2026 GAO review said the Navy is spending at least $2 billion to convert all three ships for Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missiles. Each destroyer is expected to carry 12 rounds, with an estimated average cost of about $67 million apiece. As of August 14, 2026, no Zumwalt had fired one from sea, and the first shipboard test had moved from 2025 to 2027. |
| Posted by:Dopey Photch2701 |