The newest surface combatants of the U.S. Navy have taken naval warfare technology to further frontiers. They remain not only a wonder of modern engineering but also a cornerstone in maintaining maritime superiority: USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
The USS Zumwalt is the largest and most technologically advanced surface combatant in the world. The Zumwalt-class destroyers are designed to meet both current and future threats; the hull shape, an electric propulsion system, wave-piercing tumblehome hull design and displacement characteristics provide improved stability for sea-keeping and survivability in heavy seas, with inherent stealth capabilities that make the ships difficult to detect both near the shore and in the open oceans.
The Zumwalt-class destroyers are multi-mission, capable of performing a variety of missions including deterrence, power projection, sea control, and command and control. Their multi-mission design and littoral capabilities make them globally deployable assets. The DDG 1000 class is also the first U.S. Navy surface combatant to employ an Integrated Power System (IPS) where propulsion, ship’s service and combat system loads draw from the same gas turbine prime movers. The advantage of flexibility in power allocation that IPS offers will be particularly useful in enabling future high energy weapons and sensors.
Each Zumwalt-class ship features a battery of two AGS firing LRLAP with a range of up to 63 nautical miles, greatly extending the range of naval surface fires coverage. The MFR on the ship is capable of performing area air surveillance, including overland and across the sea-land interface.
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are named after Admiral Arleigh Burke and have become the workhorse of the U.S. Navy surface fleet. They replaced the earlier Charles F. Adams and Farragut-class guided missile destroyers as the basis of most advanced war-fighting capabilities. The Arleigh Burke-class makes use of the Aegis Weapon System (AWS) with the SPY-1D multi-function phased array radar, advanced systems for anti-air warfare (AAW) and antisubmarine warfare (ASW), Vertical Launch System (VLS), and the Tomahawk Weapon System.
All-steel construction design, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers have been procured in three variants, or “Flights.” The latest Flight IIA design incorporates Kingfisher mine-avoidance capability, helicopter hangars, blast-hardened bulkheads, and advanced networked systems. The modernization program for these destroyers will ensure a comprehensive mid-life upgrade so that they remain mission relevant and integral to the Navy’s Sea Power 21 Plan.
The modernization will incorporate C/S and HM&E upgrades concurrently. These upgrades are targeted at workload reductions, increases in warfighting capability, and decreases in total ownership costs. The DDG 51 class modernization will continue multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities with additional advantages of sea-based protection from ballistic missile threats.
Northrop Grumman is right on the leading edge in driving naval technology. Its IPES supports large, power-consuming systems like electromagnetic sensors, directed energy weapons, and radars. Its IPMS enables the safe, secure, condition-based control, monitoring, steering, and diagnostics of naval vessels. A global leader in C5ISR systems integration, Northrop Grumman integrates all cyber-hardened C5ISR systems, including command and control, communications, navigation, and shipboard computer networking systems.
This is the conclusion: The USS Zumwalt and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers represent the pinnacle-the very best-of what has been achieved so far in terms of marine engineering and technological achievement. These vessels represent key parts in today’s U.S. Navy and function as stepping blocks toward further updates in maritime warfare.