Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 5:30:21-5:31:05

Turning Zumwalt into a surface-warfare ship

Zumwalt already has the hull volume, power, and launch cells for a strong anti-ship role; the main gap is integrating suitable missiles rather than redesigning the ship.

Anti-Ship MissilesMark 57 VLSNaval Strike MissileSurface WarfareTomahawk MissileWarship ModernisationZumwalt Class Destroyers
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Question

How effective could a surface-warfare version of the Zumwalt class be in modern ship-to-ship combat?

Short answer

Very effective; the hull and Mark 57 cells already offer strong capacity, and integrating anti-ship missiles or canister launchers would unlock the role.

Notes

Zumwalt is described as having been designed with substantial surface-warfare potential. Its vertical-launch system can accept a wide range of missiles. The proposed conversion could also add canister-launched weapons such as Harpoon or Naval Strike Missile. The hull is considered large and powerful enough to accommodate such a refit.