What a full Zumwalt-class programme could have provided

What would make the Zumwalt class a useful fleet capability rather than an expensive experiment?

Build about twelve, arm them from the outset with supportable 6-inch guns, and give them sensors able to cover an Arleigh Burke-like air-defence role.

Twelve hulls would make ammunition, training, and support economical in ways that three ships cannot. A redesigned class could replace the bespoke gun problem with a 6-inch weapon chosen from the beginning for naval gunfire support. Sensors closer to an Arleigh Burke standard would let the ships contribute to air defence as well as strike. The resulting class could act as an operational bridge while the US Navy developed its next large surface combatant.