The USS Zumwalt was the first in a class of what was supposed to be stealth destroyers for the United States Navy, having the radar cross-section of a fishing boat. That warship was not entirely successful, having been plagued with problems in the propulsion, and was, in the end, something of an expensive and ineffective boondoggle.
Now, though, the Zumwalt is back in the yard, being refitted to act as a test bed for a new hypersonic weapon system.
The USS Zumwalt is at a Mississippi shipyard where workers have installed missile tubes that replace twin turrets from a gun system that was never activated because it was too expensive. Once the system is complete, the Zumwalt will provide a platform for conducting fast, precision strikes from greater distances, adding to the usefulness of the warship.
“It was a costly blunder. But the Navy could take victory…
