Navy putting first shipborne hypersonic weapon on vessel once seen as ‘costly blunder’
The Pentagon is currently in the process of equipping the first-ever shipborn hypersonic missile system on a U.S. stealth destroyer that was once considered obsolete. The USS Zumwalt, stationed at a Mississippi shipyard, is undergoing a retrofit to install missile tubes at the vessel’s bow, where two inactive gun turrets were previously located. These turrets had never been utilized due to high costs, but the Navy is now repurposing them into a hypersonic platform.
According to Bryan Clark, a defense analyst at the Hudson Institute, this retrofit presents an opportunity for the Navy to salvage the situation and extract some utility from the previously inactive gun turrets. This development is crucial as the United States competes with Russia and China in the race to develop and deploy new hypersonic weapons technologies.
Hypersonic missiles offer a strategic advantage in modern warfare due to their high speed, making them difficult for missile defense systems to intercept effectively. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently issued threats to target Ukrainian government buildings in Kyiv with hypersonic missiles, raising concerns about the potential reach of these advanced weapons, which could also pose a threat to the U.S. West Coast.
In response to Putin’s threats, President Biden approved the use of U.S.-made ATACMs missiles by Ukraine on targets within Russian territory. This escalation underscores the growing importance of hypersonic weapons in global conflicts and the need for advanced defense capabilities to counter these threats effectively.
As Russia continues to enhance its missile capabilities, Putin claims that the country’s production of advanced missile systems surpasses that of the NATO military alliance by tenfold. He also announced plans to increase production further, signaling a potential escalation in the arms race between major global powers.
The retrofit of the USS Zumwalt with a hypersonic missile battery represents a critical step in enhancing the U.S. Navy’s capabilities to counter emerging threats and maintain a competitive edge in an evolving geopolitical landscape. By adapting existing assets to accommodate cutting-edge technologies, the Navy demonstrates its commitment to staying at the forefront of military innovation and readiness.
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