New Stealth Destroyer to be Fitted with Weapons
The U.S. Navy's new stealth destroyer, the Zumwalt, is traveling to San Diego where it will be outfitted with weapons. The new ships of the Zumwalt class (only three will be constructed) are considered a technology bridge to the "Navy after Next." As such the ships will be used to test new technologies and tactics that will be incorporated into future warships.
The new technologies to be tested revolve around a general theme of an "electric ship" as Zumwalt-class ships are capable of generating and projecting immense amounts of power. New systems to be tested include energy production and management systems, electric propulsion, advanced computers, next-generation radars, an electro-magnetic railgun, and a host of directed-energy weapons and other fun toys.
Why this news is important
Zumwalt is an important testbed for technologies and tactics.....that may already be obsolete. The capabilities of the new Zumwalt ships will indeed crush most adversaries the U.S. faces. However, militaries face a huge challenge when trying to stay ahead of adversaries in the current era of rapid technological advancement. Large powerful ships such as the Zumwalt, a vessel conceptualized in the 1990s, could be sitting ducks for adversaries capable of advanced asymmetric warfare.
However, the Zumwalt's very small crew and extensive use of automation may be useful innovations in the long-term. Such capabilities are also being tested by DARPA's Sea Hunter, an unmanned sea vessel testbed.
It will be very interesting to see what lessons the U.S. Navy learns from testing the Zumwalt-class ships and weapons systems.
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