The USS Zumwalt, lead ship of the Navy’s Zumwalt-class destroyers, has been undergoing major refitting since August 2023 to replace its original deck guns with missile tubes capable of launching hypersonic weapons. The upgrade installs the Conventional Prompt Strike system, allowing the ship to carry up to 12 hypersonic missiles and significantly boosting its long-range strike capabilities. Navy officials expect the ship to return to active service after testing, setting the standard for similar upgrades to its two sister ships, reports Stavros Atlamazoglou of The National Interest. He writes:

The lead ship of the Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyers has been at the Ingalls Shipbuilding shipyards since August 2023, undergoing extensive refitting. The Navy replaced the destroyer’s guns with missile tubes that will give the warship the ability to fire hypersonic missiles. […]

With the advent of missile tubes, the Navy hopes to turn the USS Zumwalt and her sister ships into blue-water strike platforms. According to the shipyard, the USS Zumwalt received the Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon system and replaced the original twin 155mm Advanced Gun Systems with new missile tubes that can fire hypersonic munitions. […]

The USS Zumwalt is not the only ship of the class that is getting an update. The other two ships of the Zumwalt-class will also rejoin the fleet with the new weapon systems and sensors. USS Michael Monsoor, the second ship of the class, is currently undergoing the CPS installation process in San Diego, while USS  Lyndon B. Johnson, the third ship of the class, is at the Ingalls shipyard undergoing combat system activation and the installation of the new missile tubes.

Designed as stealth warships, the Zumwalt-class destroyers are known for their unique hulls—and, more notoriously, for the many issues caused by their innovative systems, especially their electric propulsion system.

Read more here.