What's happened
The USS Zumwalt is undergoing significant upgrades at a Mississippi shipyard, replacing its gun system with missile tubes for hypersonic weapons. This change aims to enhance the warship's capabilities amid growing pressure from hypersonic advancements by China and Russia.
Why it matters
What the papers say
The South China Morning Post highlights the Zumwalt's transition from a costly blunder to a potential hypersonic platform, quoting defense analyst Bryan Clark on the Navy's strategic pivot. The Independent echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the Zumwalt's advanced technologies despite its troubled history. Business Insider UK provides context on China's missile advancements, particularly the DF-26, underscoring the competitive landscape that pressures U.S. military innovation. Together, these sources illustrate the complexities of modern naval warfare and the implications of hypersonic technology.
How we got here
The Zumwalt-class destroyers, initially criticized for their high costs and unactivated gun systems, are being repurposed to integrate hypersonic weaponry. This shift comes as the U.S. military faces increasing competition in hypersonic technology from global adversaries.
Common question
-
What Upgrades Are Being Made to the USS Zumwalt?
The USS Zumwalt is undergoing significant upgrades to enhance its military capabilities, particularly in response to global competition. As the U.S. Navy modernizes its fleet, many are curious about the specific changes being implemented and their implications for future warfare. Below are some frequently asked questions that shed light on this important topic.
-
What Upgrades Are Being Made to the USS Zumwalt for Hypersonic Weapons?
The USS Zumwalt is undergoing significant upgrades to enhance its capabilities in modern warfare, particularly in response to advancements in hypersonic weapons by global adversaries. This page explores the implications of these upgrades and answers common questions about hypersonic technology and military strategy.
More on these topics
-
China, officially the People's Republic of China, is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of around 1.4 billion in 2019.
-
Jack Douglas Teixeira is an American former airman in the 102nd Intelligence Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. In April 2023, Teixeira was accused of violating the Espionage Act after disclosing hundreds of Pentagon documents onto a Discord se
-
Mississippi is a state located in the Deep South region of the United States. Mississippi is the 32nd largest and 34th-most populous of the 50 U.S. states.
-
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States.
-
In geometry, a pentagon is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°.
A pentagon may be simple or self-intersecting. A self-intersecting regular pentagon is called a pentagram.