US Navy Stealth Destroyer Launches
The U.S. Navy recently launched USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000), lead ship of the all-new Zumwalt-class of stealth destroyers.
According to MANA,Named for Admiral Elmo R. “Bud” Zumwalt, this new vessel was developed under the US Navy’s DD-21 “21st Century Destroyer” program.The USS Zumwalt is expected to carry a complement of 80 Tomahawk long-range, subsonic cruise missiles, designed to attack a variety of surface targets.
While the ship has no current expectation for ballistic missile defense, the USS Zumwalt is currently capable of launching the SM-2 surface-to-air (SAM) missiles, which can be dual-purposed to attack enemy ships, both at line-of-sight range as well as over the horizon, using inertial guidance and terminal infrared homing.