Zumwalt destroyers gain devastating speed and range by 2026, unlocking new offensive capabilities with hypersonic missiles against deeply defended targets.
By Kris Osborn, Warrior
The US Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon has been under development for several years now, and the service plans to arm its fleet of Zumwalt-class destroyers with the weapon by 2026. Arming the stealthy Zumwalt-class destroyers with hypersonics can breath new operational life into the embattled Navy fleet of three destroyers; it will not only greatly increase speed and range of attack but bring paradigm-changing attack options to high-tech Zumwalt ships still somewhat searching for a tactical identity.
The CPS, which was tested earlier this year, consists of a two-stage solid rocket motor booster designed to pinpoint enemy ground formations, track and destroy enemy air defenses, and even strike fixed infrastructure or ships at sea.
The advantages are clear, as hypersonic weapons bring paradigm-changing speed levels to any kind of missile attack, as they are intended to target, strike, and destroy an enemy target faster than an enemy can respond. When faced with an incoming projectile traveling at more than six times the speed of sound, enemy commanders may be unable to identify the threat and decide which defense or countermeasure is optimal for a given attack.
Common Glide Body
The core of the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike weapon consists of a Common Glide Body, which is used in both the Navy’s sea-launched CPS and the Army’s ground-launched Long Range Hypersonic Weapon. The Navy’s CPS is replacing the Advanced Gun System on the Zumwalt-class, something which will greatly expand the ship’s attack range and overall lethality. The original gun system would have engaged targets at roughly 60–100 nautical miles with precision, yet hypersonic missiles promise ranges measured in the thousands of miles. This gives the Zumwalt class the ability to hold high-value, heavily defended targets at risk well before enemy forces can respond. In a maritime environment where adversaries increasingly deploy long-range sensors and anti-ship missiles, the ability to strike deep inland or at extended maritime ranges is tactically significant.
Hypersonic weapons will also provide the Zumwalt class with enhanced levels of survivability in high threat areas because they are far more difficult to track than conventional missiles. This makes the Zumwalt class a credible platform for penetrating sophisticated anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) systems—particularly those deployed by peer adversaries in the Indo-Pacific.
Stealthy Zumwalt
The ship’s inherent design features also complement hypersonic weapon integration. The Zumwalt’s stealthy tumblehome hull significantly reduces its radar cross-section, allowing it to operate closer to contested regions while remaining more difficult to detect than traditional destroyers. This stealth advantage becomes even more meaningful when paired with hypersonic weapons capable of rapid, high-value strikes. A platform with a reduced radar signature, armed with weapons that are more difficult to stop, complicates an adversary’s targeting calculus and forces them to allocate more resources to defense. Additionally, the Zumwalt’s powerful integrated power system—producing upwards of 78 megawatts of electrical power—provides ample energy for future advanced sensors, enhanced missile systems, and potentially directed-energy weapons that complement hypersonic strike capabilities.
With hypersonic weapons, Zumwalt-class destroyers can support a wider range of mission sets including long-range strike, deterrence patrols, and joint operations with submarines and aircraft equipped with similar weapon types. This integration helps distribute U.S. strike capability across more platforms, reducing reliance on aircraft carriers or strategic bombers for attack missions.
The most important element of integrating CPS likely pertains to its computing; the Zumwalt-class ships are integrated with an advanced computer called Total Ship Computing Environment designed with six million lines of code to connect the ship’s systems together. Connecting CPS with the ship’s computers could expedite fire control and connect radar systems, sensors and targeting technologies with the hypersonic weapons for attack.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.