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BackRemove the giant cannon and replace it with hypersonic missiles! The final US military Zwart-class ship will receive an additional US$99.1 million
Remove the giant cannon and replace it with hypersonic missiles! The final US military Zwart-class ship will receive an additional US$99.1 million
Developing
自由时报1 hour agoDefense2 min readChinaView original

Remove the giant cannon and replace it with hypersonic missiles! The final US military Zwart-class ship will receive an additional US$99.1 million

JohnsonZhuwa Specialhypersonic missile

Quick Look

  • Navy has added an additional $99.1 million to the contract for the final Zwart-class stealth destroyer "USS Johnson" to modify the conventional fast-strike hypersonic missile system.
  • The relevant sea trials and engineering are scheduled to be completed in October 2028.
  • The ship is currently being refitted at the Pascagoula Shipyard in Mississippi, and the original schedule for service in 2027 has been postponed.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

The Zwart-class destroyers were originally designed to be equipped with two 155 mm advanced naval gun systems. However, due to the high cost of dedicated long-range artillery shells, the U.S. Navy canceled the ammunition plan in 2016 and later decided to remove the naval guns and convert them into hypersonic missile launch tubes. The first ship "Jewart" has completed the modification and will undergo sea trials in January 2026. The second ship "Monsoor" is expected to be installed with the same system when it enters the factory in the future.

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The US Navy Zwart-class stealth destroyer "USS Johnson" sails on the sea. The ship is being modified with a hypersonic missile system, and related sea trials and engineering are scheduled to be completed in October 2028. (Photo: U.S. Navy)

[Compiled by Chen Chengliang/Comprehensive Report] The U.S. Navy has added an additional US$99.1 million to the contract for the final Zumwalt-class stealth destroyer "USS Lyndon B. Johnson" (DDG 1002) to support sea trials and related projects, which is scheduled to be completed in October 2028. The ship is currently being modified with a "Conventional Prompt Strike" (CPS) hypersonic missile system.

The military news website "Defence Blog" reported on the 17th that about 95% of the project will be carried out at the Pascagoula Shipyard in Mississippi. The U.S. Navy has allocated approximately US$59.3 million when signing the contract, and the funds will come from the shipbuilding budget for the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years.

Please read on...

The Johnson entered dry dock in January 2025 and began installing CPS missile launch tubes. The U.S. Navy stated at the time that the ship planned to enter service in 2027; the latest report pointed out that sea trials and related projects are scheduled to be completed in October 2028.

Dismantling the naval guns and replacing them with missiles, the Zhuwat class turned to long-range strikes

The Zwart-class was originally equipped with two 155 mm advanced naval gun systems. However, due to the high cost of dedicated long-range artillery shells, the U.S. Navy canceled the relevant ammunition project in 2016. Subsequently, it decided to remove the naval guns and retrofit hypersonic missiles.

The first ship of its class, the USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), completed its builder's sea trials in January 2026. The ship is equipped with 4 large missile launch tubes at the original gun positions, each of which can load 3 CPS missiles, for a total of up to 12 missiles. The second ship "USS Michael Monsoor" (DDG 1001) is expected to be installed with the same system when it enters the factory in the future.

CPS shares a hypersonic glide vehicle with the U.S. Army's "Dark Eagle" long-range hypersonic weapon. After the missile accelerates the vehicle to high speed and altitude, the gliding vehicle maneuvers towards the target, making it more difficult for air defense and anti-missile systems to intercept. If the Jensen completes the relevant projects as scheduled, it will become the second Zivat-class destroyer to complete the modification of hypersonic missile launch tubes and conduct sea trials.

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

  • The Johnson will complete sea trials of the hypersonic missile system in October 2028 and begin the service test phase.

    Likely · Within months

Open Questions

  • How did the hypersonic missile system perform in actual sea trials?
  • Does the U.S. Navy plan to expand this system to other ship classes?
  • Will this project further impact defense budget allocations?

Related Topics

Johnson
OrganizationsU.S. NavyDefense Blog
Placesmississippipascagoula shipyard
TopicsZhuwa Specialhypersonic missileCPSU.S. Navymississippipascagoula shipyard
This article was originally published by 自由时报.

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