An upcoming comprehensive refit to install a battery of hypersonic missiles on the Zumwalt guided-missile destroyers will also increase the stealth warship’s operational range and endurance, according to recently released documents.
A list of modernization items planned for USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) includes provisions for a “Fuel Endurance and Range” modification. This work will convert existing salt water ballast tanks to accommodate an enlarged fuel oil capacity. Additional modifications are also set to increase the amount of fuel that the Zumwalt-class could take-on during replenishment to account for the increased storage.
With these modifications, the U.S. Navy’s first hypersonic strike platforms will be able to loiter at sea for longer periods, a capability that will prove crucial for their expected deterrence missions against adversaries in the Indo-Pacific.
“The Zumwalt class, with its advanced stealth design and integration of the Conventional Prompt Strike weapons system, will be the Navy’s premier offensive surface combatant, providing sea-based precision capabilities that can effectively engage strategic targets with long-range fires,” Capt. Clint Lawler, Program Manager, Zumwalt-class Destroyer program office, said at a presentation during Surface Navy Association 2025.
The service began its first Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) Modernization effort on the leadership of the class, USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000), in 2023 at HII Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss. USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002) docked at the shipyard in 2025 for its own conversion.
These missiles were developed from a joint program with the U.S. Army to strike targets thousands of miles away on a short notice. While the ground service’s hypersonics – dubbed Dark Eagle – can be deployed via transport aircraft globally, the sea service’s deployment methods will see CPS deployed from the stealthy destroyers and future Virginia-class nuclear attack boats.
It is unclear what payloads or capabilities the Navy’s CPS will deliver, although a showcase of the Army’s adjacent Dark Eagle system reveals that the reach of the missile could be up to or at least 2,175 miles.
Both Advanced Gun System turrets were ripped out to make room for the necessary equipment for the CPS. One of these former mounts will accommodate a Large Missile Vertical Launching System containing four Advanced Payload Modules carrying three hypersonic missiles each. Naval Sea Systems Command told MarineLink that the second mount will remain empty “for future capabilities.”
These modifications are the latest in the saga of the Zumwalt-class, which were originally conceived to provide naval gunfire support based upon 1990s and early 2000s requirements. Only three of the envisioned 32 stealth destroyers were built. Their advanced 155mm cannons needed ammunition that was deemed too expensive for the service, especially as the original mission fell into obsolescence with the mass proliferation of ground-based anti-ship missile systems.
With the rise of China and an increasingly capable People’s Liberation Army, the remaining three Zumwalt-class destroyers have been geared to sling hypersonics at strategic targets. Extending the Zumwalt’s operational range and ability to loiter in theater enhances this mission set. The long distances, spread out ports and other logistical challenges associated with the vast expanse of the Pacific raises concerns for the fleet’s operations in a conflict with China.
