Exclusive Report: U.S. Navy to convert Zumwalt destroyer to hypersonic missile strike vessel with 2027 test planned.

According to information published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) in June 2025, the U.S. Navy has taken significant steps toward transforming the DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer fleet from land-attack ship into advanced offensive surface strike vessel capable of deploying the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic missile system. This capability shift positions the Zumwalt-class as the Navy’s first operational maritime hypersonic platform, with the lead ship, USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), scheduled to conduct its CPS live fire demonstration in 2027.
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USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) is undocked at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding facility on December 6, 2024, marking a key milestone in its transformation into the first U.S. Navy surface combatant equipped for hypersonic missile launch capability. (Picture source: HII)

Originally conceived as a multi-mission land-attack and littoral dominance vessel, the Zumwalt-class destroyer featured a radical design emphasizing stealth, automation, and advanced weaponry. Central to the original configuration were the twin 155mm Advanced Gun Systems (AGS), designed to deliver long-range precision fires using the now-canceled Long-Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP). With the cancellation of LRLAP in 2016 due to unsustainable costs, the AGS lost operational relevance, and the Navy began reevaluating the class's strategic role.

The shift toward hypersonic capability represents a fundamental reorientation of the DDG 1000’s mission profile. The Navy has removed the AGS mounts from the forward deckhouse of USS Zumwalt, replacing them with the newly designed Large Missile Vertical Launch System (LMVLS) capable of accommodating the much larger CPS hypersonic weapons. Unlike the standard Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) found on other Navy surface combatants, the LMVLS features wider and deeper cells required to house the CPS canister and its associated launch infrastructure. This major structural modification is one of the most significant warship weapons conversions in recent U.S. naval history.

In parallel with the hardware installation, the DDG 1000 program is focused on integrating new fire control and mission software to handle the unique requirements of the CPS system, including trajectory planning, targeting coordination, and integration with broader joint hypersonic operations. Program officials have acknowledged that software integration remains a high-risk area, with developmental versions of the advanced payload module scheduled for delivery in spring 2025. This module is critical, as it will serve as the interface between the ship’s launch systems and the CPS missile canister.

In addition to the CPS integration, other legacy weapon systems on the DDG 1000 are being reconfigured to support the ship’s new strategic strike role. While the Mk 57 Peripheral Vertical Launch System (PVLS), originally installed for Tomahawk and Standard Missiles, remains part of the ship’s armament, its role is now secondary to the LMVLS. The ship’s AN/SPY-3 Multi-Function Radar and the Total Ship Computing Environment (TSCE) are also undergoing software upgrades to support long-range targeting and coordination for hypersonic missions, ensuring seamless command and control across joint strike networks.

With its low radar cross-section, advanced power generation capacity via its Integrated Power System (IPS), and reduced manning enabled by automation, the U.S. Navy Zumwalt-class destroyer remains uniquely suited to carry hypersonic weapons. The ongoing transformation marks a major milestone in the U.S. Navy’s modernization roadmap, enabling a new surface warfare concept built around distributed lethality and rapid-response precision strikes. Once operational, the CPS-armed Zumwalt-class destroyers are expected to offer a formidable combination of stealth, survivability, and first-strike capability, capable of penetrating high-threat anti-access and area-denial environments with unprecedented speed and lethality.