When the US Navy commissioned its Zumwalt-class destroyer (DDG-1000) in 2016, it hailed the warship as the world’s most advanced surface combatant. Equipped with a state-of-the-art stealth design, revolutionary electric propulsion and integrated power mechanisms, and advanced twin weapon systems, the 16,000-ton Zumwalt was billed as larger, more advanced and harder to detect than any destroyer the world had ever seen.
However, several shortcomings, including released costs and disappointing performance, caused the Navy to reduce the number of orders from 32 to the proposed three, raising doubts about the Navy’s ability to deliver advanced warships. Ultimately, the Zumwalt suffered from two major problems. The first was its incredible cost, as the price tag of $8 billion per ship made it impractical for large-scale production and deployment. Second, its advanced designs were ill-suited for the Navy’s intended use as a ground support ship, where stealth characteristics are less important. As such, the US leadership determined that the Zumwalt was an expensive square bolt for the Navy’s round hole of sustainment, making it a floating money pit with no definitive mission.
This disconnect led the US Navy to begin the arduous task of upgrading its most expensive destroyer, replacing the 155 mm guns with hypersonic missiles. The first ship of its kind to feature an intercontinental missile system, the Zumwalt is one of several global destroyers adding high-tech weapons systems to address a changing threat landscape. The upgrade recasts the Zumwalt as part of US long-range strike operations, an increasingly important strategic priority perhaps best exemplified by the November 2025 nuclear missile test. After completing a round of major post-modernization tests in January 2026, this sci-fi stealth ship may finally be ready to take its place at the forefront of US naval strategy.
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America’s most advanced destroyer
Two sailors walk past the docked DDG-1000 Zumwalt. -Mark Wilson/Getty Images
When the DDG-1000 was commissioned, it was praised for its new stealth designs. Despite being about a 40 percent increase in size over its Arleigh Burke-class predecessor, the Zumwalt’s 610-foot radar cross-section matches that of a 50-foot fishing vessel. Using many of the same stealth design principles of fighter jets, the Zumwalt eschewed typical design structures, instead using an angular, wave-piercing hull and a hull constructed of electromagnetic-absorbing composite materials to reduce the ship’s radar footprint.
Add in acoustics that sound more like a submarine, and the Zumwalt is about 50 times stealthier than the Arleigh Burke destroyers. Another major development was the Zumwalt’s electric propulsion system. Powered by a revolutionary integrated power grid, it is capable of generating 78 megawatts, almost as much as a nuclear aircraft carrier.
The massive size allows the Zumwalt to accommodate a variety of aircraft, including Joint Strike Fighters, drones and the MV-22 Osprey, initially seen as an advantage for its position alongside amphibious and littoral combat ships. To support these nearshore operations, the ship was equipped with two 155mm Advanced Gun Systems (AGS). With a range of 62 nautical miles, the Navy intended the AGS’s long-range land attack missiles to fill the naval surface fire support void left by the 1992 retirement of the Iowa-class battleship.
Lady, darkness and hope
A side view shows the angular hull of the DDG-1000 Zumwalt as it navigates through open water. – Sheet/Getty Images
Unfortunately, the technological advancements of the Navy’s stealth SF ship have come at a price. During its 11-year development, costs skyrocketed to $23 billion. To put such astronomical numbers into perspective, the US Navy’s new Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear supercarrier costs $13 billion. The ammunition alone proved a financial disaster for the Zumwalt, as each round cost over $800,000, forcing a reduction in the purchase from 20,000 to 2,400 units.
Further complicating matters, the Zumwalt’s expensive advances were ill-suited for the Navy’s planned use near shore, where crowded waterways and clear lines of sight negate much of its anti-radar capability. Between rising costs and competing design priorities, naval planners largely saw the Zumwalt-class destroyers as an expensive ship without a mission. However, since the munitions order was canceled, the Navy began reorienting the Zumwalt away from close-shore combat and toward clandestine operations and long-range missile strikes.
This reuse began in August 2023 when DDG-1000 underwent a 3-year modernization effort. Part of this involved replacing the advanced weapons systems with a state-of-the-art, conventional quick-strike weapon system (CPS) that carries common hypersonic gliders capable of reaching a worldwide range at speeds of up to Mach 5. Through these efforts, the Navy hopes the CPS system will turn the Zumwalt-class destroyer into a key Pacific co-design force, particularly in its global efforts.
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