Destroyers of project ddg 1000. Invisible destroyer Zumwalt - "ship of the future" or another "toy" of the Pentagon? And what about competitors

MOSCOW, Dec 13 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. The ultramodern American destroyers Zamwalt seem to be pursuing a "family curse." Experts did not have time to complete discussions on last year's breakdown of the lead ship DDG-1000 in the Panama Canal, as this week its "younger brother" - DDG-1001 "Michael Monsour", was partially out of order. ... The ship has failed harmonic filters that protect sensitive electrical equipment from power fluctuations. As a result, Michael Monsour temporarily lost most of its high-tech electronics. The American naval sailors have an additional headache: ships, second only in price to aircraft carriers, stubbornly refuse to get rid of a multitude of "childhood diseases". About why the project of the latest destroyers is still stalled - in the material of RIA Novosti.

Too advanced

Destroyers with guided missile weapons Zumwalt were supposed to become versatile warships, but with an emphasis on combating coastal and ground targets. The Zamvolty were planned to be assigned the tasks of fire support for amphibious assault forces, precision weapons strikes against troops and infrastructure, as well as attacks by enemy surface ships. The program for the construction of promising destroyers was launched in 2007, when the Congress allocated 2.6 billion dollars for the creation of the first two Zamvolts. In total, the US Navy expected to receive 32 ships of this type and keep within 40 billion.

However, the cost of the ships of this project, which American engineers tried to pull up to the high requirements of the military, began to grow at an astronomical rate. First, the order was reduced to 24 destroyers, then to seven. As a result, in 2008 the fleet decided to limit itself to only three ships. Each of them, according to the latest data, cost the treasury $ 4.4 billion, not counting the cost of servicing the ship throughout its life cycle (the total cost may exceed seven billion).

The first Zamvolt entered the US Navy on October 16, 2016. A month later - November 21 - DDG-1000 stalled in the Panama Canal on its way to the port in San Diego. Sea water has penetrated two of the four bearings that connect the ship's induction inboard motors to its drive shafts. Both ramparts failed, and the Zamvolt crashed into the canal walls. The ultra-modern destroyer had to shamefully return to port in tow. Moreover, a leak in the lubricant cooling system was found on a ship in San Diego, but its cause could not be established at that time. As recent events have shown, the second destroyer of the series is also experiencing serious problems with the power plant.

“We must be aware that the Americans know how to build warships,” military expert Alexei Leonkov told RIA Novosti. “And Zamvolt is very interesting in all its parameters. original project... Especially its unusual propulsion system, similar to that used on strategic submarines of the Ohio class. The only difference is that on "Zamvolta" instead of nuclear reactor diesel-gas turbine engine. It is connected to electric motors that are used at low and medium travel. In theory, this approach implies fuel economy when the ship is cruising on one electricity. In practice, however, such a system has sharply increased the cost of the propulsion system and reduced its reliability. Hence the breakdowns. "

Alexei Leonkov recalled an old joke: "Americans always find the right solution, but only when they try all the wrong ones." The expert emphasized that the same story was with the initially "raw" M-16 assault rifle and the F-16 fighter, which were eventually brought to almost perfection. There is no doubt that Zamvolty will be polished over time. It's just that it is still unclear what niche these three ships will occupy in the Navy.

Hole for the budget

William Beeman: Zamwalt destroyers off the coast of China - the US fear of the PRCThe reason for the decision to place the latest weapons on the borders of China is the US concern about the growing influence of the PRC in the Asia-Pacific region. So the American political scientist commented on the recent statement of the head of the Pentagon.

Impact capabilities "Zamvolt" are high enough, but not outstanding. Its main armament is 80 cruise missiles in vertical launch silos located along the sides. The know-how of the destroyer was to become artillery weapons. It was originally planned to install two electromagnetic railguns on it. However, the project was doomed to failure, since this weapon would eat up all the power of the ship. The destroyer armed with railguns, in fact, turned into a floating gun carriage and "disconnected from the network" after each shot.

Later it was decided to stop at two 155-mm AGS artillery guns of an unconventional active-reactive scheme with a firing range of up to 148 kilometers. The LRLAP shells used in them, according to the statements of the developers from the concern Lockheed martinare so accurate that they can "hit targets in the canyons of coastal cities with minimal collateral damage." Everything would be fine, but the cost of one ammunition of this type has already exceeded 800 thousand dollars. For comparison: the Tomahawk cruise missile, which has been perfectly tested in dozens of armed conflicts, hits 2.5 thousand kilometers and costs only slightly more - about a million. Since 2016, the US Navy has been looking for an alternative to the "golden" projectiles for the wonder cannon, but so far to no avail.

"Thus, the Zamvolts have only 80 Tomahawks per ship," said Alexei Leonkov. "Now let's do some simple calculations. One destroyer with 80 missiles costs $ 4.4 billion. The Ticonderoga-class cruiser (up to 122 Tomahawks) is costing US taxpayers about a billion. The Arlie Burke-class destroyer (up to 56 Tomahawks plus anti-ship missiles and Aegis missile defense system), according to the latest data, costs about 1.8 billion. Both of these ships are perfectly tested in combat conditions and long ago brought to mind. Yes, "Zamvolt" is made using stealth technology. But any radar specialist will tell you that all these games with invisibility are just games. You can only partially reduce the visibility and in a certain range. So Isn't it easier for the same money to build two Ohio-class nuclear submarines, each of which, in a non-strategic version, can carry 154 Tomahawks? Such a submarine is certainly less noticeable than the Zamwalt, and in terms of its striking power it rises twice. "

According to the expert, "Zamvolt" will never go into large-scale production, remaining an expensive and useless "toy". Leonkov stressed that the implementation of at least three ships of this type "in metal" is a direct consequence of the efforts of the lobbyists of the project in the ruling circles of the United States. The American industry has long been able to build cheaper and more efficient ships. Even if not so high-tech and original in appearance.

Text: Sergey Balakin

Recently, the first out to sea of \u200b\u200bthe American "shipbuilding miracle" - "dreadnought of the XXI century" DDG-1000 "Zumwalt" took place. Much has been said about this extravagant ship, we will not repeat it. But we will try to answer the question that involuntarily arises in any person who is in the slightest degree familiar with the fleet: why on earth is this floating monster with a displacement of more than 14 thousand tons classified as a destroyer? Why is it not a cruiser - after all, both in size and in tactical purpose, the Zamvolt is closest to this particular class?

But here's the paradox: according to the author, the decisive role in the classification of the new ship was not played specifications and not tactics, but the peculiarities of the English-language terminology. One might even say that linguistics is to blame. I'll try to explain.

The founders of the destroyer class appeared in England in the first half of the 1890s. They were enlarged destroyers with reinforced artillery weapons. As conceived, their main task is to fight enemy (then it was meant - French) destroyers. Therefore, they were called "torpedoboat destroyers" - "destroyers" or "fighters" of torpedo boats (let me remind you that in Russia a torpedo was called a self-propelled mine for a long time, hence the destroyers, not torpedo bombers). In practice, these fast ships have proven to be more versatile than their original specialization. Therefore, the word "torpedoboat" disappeared from the name of their class, and they began to be called simply "destroyers" - literally "destroyers". This word was borrowed by other fleets, and it spread widely throughout the world in different variations. For example, the Poles called ships of this class "destroyers" (niszczycieli), and the Yugoslavs called "destroyers" (razaraci).

Conflict - One of the first Destroyers of the British Navy, 1894

In the Russian Imperial Navy, analogues of British Destroyers appeared at the end of the 19th century and by the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War there were already tens of units. Officially, they belonged to the class of destroyers, but since they were still larger ships, they were usually called fighters, and sometimes - destroyers, but with the addition of the word "squadron". Officially, the class of destroyers, abbreviated destroyers, appeared in our fleet in 1907. Ships of this class, both here and abroad, developed rapidly and became an increasingly important part of the world's fleets. Destroyers are in the Russian Navy even today, although this is an exclusively tribute to traditions. After all, modern multipurpose missile ships have long been not squadron ships, and not destroyers at all ...

It should be noted that in modern fleets the division of surface ships into classes is generally quite arbitrary. Since warships are multipurpose, corvettes, frigates, destroyers and cruisers differ from each other only in size, and the look at the range of these sizes is very subjective. Almost the same type of ships in Italy are listed as destroyers, and in France - as frigates. Or the American destroyers of the Arleigh Burke class and the Ticonderoga-class cruisers: they are about the same in displacement and armament, but the former are destroyers, and the latter are cruisers. But why, then, is Zamvolt not a cruiser?

Cruiser CG-71 “Cape St. George "- one of the ships of the" Ticonderoga "

Because the class of cruisers today is dying out. Except for one relict model in the Peruvian fleet, launched over 70 years ago, only two countries remain in the world with cruisers - Russia and the United States. Moreover, in the United States, cruisers are represented only by ships of the "Ticonderoga" type, which are already being decommissioned and will be decommissioned in the near future. Thus, cruisers - the recent beauty and pride of the fleet - will remain in the past. From what? And everything is simple: this is due to the cruise boom that began a quarter of a century ago. Cruiser in English is cruiser and cruising is cruise. Cruise liner - cruise liner or cruise ship. An obvious flaw in English-language terminology: a cruiser was confused with a passenger ship! A typical example: on a site with the world's largest collection of photos of ships (I will not give its name, so as not to be considered advertising), moderators have to transfer photos of liners to the appropriate section almost every day. Since the authors regularly place them in the "Cruisers" directory.

Nowadays the word "cruiser" is often associated with a cruise ship ...

Returning to Zamvolt, it becomes clear why the American sailors like destroyers more than cruisers. Agree: to serve on a "cruiser" or on a "destroyer" - it sounds very different. So the word "destroyer" coined more than a century ago (some attribute it to the reformer admiral and "father of the Dreadnought" Jackie Fischer) turned out to be extremely successful. The multivariance of its interpretation makes it possible to call any strike ship a destroyer. Even such a monster as "Zamvolt".

Travel speed 30 knots (55.56 km / h) Crew 148 people Armament Radar weapons AN / SPY-3 Tactical strike weapons 20 × UVP Mk.57 for 80 Tomahawk, ASROC or ESSM missiles Artillery 2 × 155 mm AGS gun (920 rounds, 600 of them in automatic loaders) Flak 2 × 30 mm AU Mk.46 Rocket armament RIM-162 ESSM Anti-submarine weapons RUM-139 VL-Asroc Aviation group 1 × SH-60 LAMPS helicopter
3 × UAV MQ-8 Fire Scout Images at Wikimedia Commons

Destroyers of the "Zamvolt" class (eng. Zumwalt class guide missile destroyers) is a new type of missile-armed US Navy destroyers (also formerly known as DD (X)), with an emphasis on attacks from coastal and ground targets. This type is a smaller version of the ships of the DD-21 program, funding for which has been discontinued. The first Zumwalt-class destroyer, DDG-1000, was launched on October 29, 2013.

The main weapons of this series of destroyers are 80 Tomahawk cruise missiles and artillery systems, which predetermines the main task of the destroyers to support ground forces by attacking coastal targets.

The ship uses a promising control system for all weapons through the TSCE-I from Raytheon, abandoning the concept of local computer systems. The destroyer has stealth means that reduce its RCS by 50 times.

The program is named after Admiral, Head of Naval Operations Elmo R. Zumwalt.

Design and construction history

Design: Launching Missiles from Destroyer Zumwalt's Vertical Shafts

Among the US warships under development, the DDG-1000 should precede the Littoral Combat Ship and possibly follow the CG (X) cruiser, competing with the CVN-21 anti-aircraft. The DDG-1000 program is the result of a significant reorganization of the DD21 program, whose budget was cut by Congress by more than 50% (under the SC21 program of the 1990s).

Initially, the naval forces hoped to build 32 such destroyers. Later this number was reduced to 24, and then to seven due to the high cost of new experimental technologies that should be included in the destroyer. The US House of Representatives remains skeptical about the program in view of the ship's missile defense system problems, as discussed below, as well as the lower stealth and much lower cruise missile loadings of the Ohio submarines. Although the old converted Ohio-class submarines are capable of carrying 154 cruise missiles instead of 80 missiles from the Zamwalt, the cost of refitting the old nuclear submarine is more than half the price. Therefore, money was initially allocated only for the construction of one DDG-1000 for a "technology demonstration."

Initial funding for the destroyer was included in the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act. In 2007, $ 2.6 billion was allocated to finance and build two Zumwalt-class destroyers.

On February 14, 2008, Bath Iron Works was selected to build USS Zumwalt DDG-1000, and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding was selected to build DDG-1001 at a cost of $ 1.4 billion each. According to Defense Industry Daily, the cost could rise to $ 3.2 billion per ship, plus $ 4.0 billion will cost life cycle each ship.

On July 22, 2008, it was decided to build only two such destroyers. A few weeks later, it was decided to build a third destroyer of this type.

Name	room	Shipyard	Bookmark	Launching	Commissioning
Zamwolt USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000)	1000	Bath iron works	November 17, 2011	October 29, 2013	16 october 2016
Michael Monsour USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001)	1001	Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding	23 May 2013	21 June 2016	24 april 2018
Lyndon B. Johnson USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002)	1002	Bath iron works	January 30, 2017	2017 (plan)	2018 (plan)

After being commissioned, the Zamvolt-class destroyers will be operated together with the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

On December 7, 2015, the first of three destroyers, Zamvolt, estimated by this time at $ 4.4 billion, went to sea for sea trials.

The cost of building all three destroyers is estimated at $ 12.73 billion. The total cost of the program, which includes research and development costs in addition to shipbuilding costs, is estimated at approximately $ 22.5 billion.

In November 2017, it became known that the United States is partially cutting funding for the project by refusing to create some systems for subsequent ships of the series. In particular, they will abandon the general shipboard computing environment and the Mk57 vertical missile launch system.

Design

General structural diagram of "Zamvolt", where its main parts are visible: a single power plant, radar, missile launchers, sonar, and an artillery system

Ship control system

Zamvolt's command bridge.

Power plant

Zamvolt used the method of a universal power plant "turbine-generator-electric motor", known from the submarines "Ohio": the engine rotates only electric generators and then all energy consumers, from the radar to the ship's propellers - are electric, that is, the ship is driven by electric motors. Instead of a nuclear reactor, the Zamvolts use a diesel-gas turbine engine.

However, such a system dramatically increases the cost of the propulsion system, reduces its efficiency and reliability, therefore, in the Ohio submarines, it was used only for movement at low speed in the sneaking mode, in order to reduce acoustic noise on the propeller shaft gearboxes. Stealth facilities for Zamvolt were the core concept of the project, so the same design solution was chosen [ clarify]. However, it was not taken into account that such a system proved to be insufficiently reliable and powerful for cruising speed, so the Ohio switched at cruising speed to the traditional direct power supply from the turbine to the propeller shaft gearboxes, bypassing two energy conversion stages. The designers of Zamvolt convinced the customers of the US Navy that they had managed to solve the problems of reliability of an installation of this class and that direct operation through gearboxes was not required. But in practice, when trying to use the "Zamvolt" at full speed, the power plant broke down in less than 1 month of operation and demanded to tow a vessel without power supply for repairs.

Some analysts indicate that it is possible that the choice of a single power plant was associated with an experimental cannon based on a railgun, which required a lot of electrical energy. But this gun has not yet been tested and installed on the ship - a traditional cannon has been used.

Armament

Cruise missiles

Test of the Zamvolta artillery mount

The ship's main armament is 20 Mk-57 universal launchers with a total capacity of 80 missiles. The main missile is supposed to be the Tomahawk. The missiles are deployed along the sides in PVLS vertical launch units. In the opinion of the designers, this increases the survivability of the ship, since during a freelance rocket explosion it does not occur inside the ship, but on board with the release of the main energy of the explosion overboard. Critics point out that, on the other hand, anti-ship missiles will almost always hit Zamwolt's ammunition load and the anti-ship missiles explosion will be amplified by the partial detonation of Tomahawks.

Artillery installation "land" caliber

For the destroyer, prototypes of the most exotic artillery systems technologies, including the railgun, were discussed, but in the end they settled on 155-mm artillery mounts of an unconventional active-reactive scheme, which provides an increased range of up to 148 km (LRLAP). At such a distance, artillery is capable of accurately hitting the target only with guided projectiles, and the accuracy is required higher than that of cruise missiles, since the mass of the warhead is much less.

To achieve a range of 148 km, it was necessary to lengthen the missile part of the artillery system's active-rocket projectile, and therefore it does not fit entirely into the artillery bolt cradle. The "Zamvolt" gun for reloading must take a vertical position every time.

But the main reason for criticism from the Pentagon is that the cost of one guided projectile for the gun reached $ 0.8-1.2 million, and taking into account the depreciation and current repairs of the gun, the cost of a shot reached $ 2 million. In other words, the Zamwolt projectile has become more expensive than the Tomahawk cruise missile, which has an order of magnitude greater range and power (weight) of the delivered ammunition. The command of the US Navy also questioned the LRLAP program and did not include the procurement of shells for the artillery system in the budgets of 2016 and 2017, and all three planned destroyers of the Zamvolt series only have 100 shells released by the manufacturer for 120 million dollars in 2009. In 2016, the US Navy was considering abandoning the LRLAP guns or changing ammunition, as the current cost of the shells was "unacceptable."

Stealth tools

Floating model of Zamvolta, on which the designers proved to the US Navy that the destroyer would not capsize in a strong wave

The ship is made with flat beveled surfaces to reflect radiation from enemy radars into the sky, the bow of the ship is beveled like a breakwater also into the sky, since the sharp edge of the bow of the ship is a strong reflector of radio waves. Many American experts in shipbuilding immediately stated that the profile with the debris of the sides (tumblehome) makes Zamwalt dangerous for the crew due to the reduced stability and with a strong side roll, the ship can turn over. Therefore, uninterrupted operation of the ship's propulsion system is critical for the "dynamic stability of the ship" due to movement, since in the event of an engine failure, a stationary ship can be unstable. In response to this criticism, the ship's designers created a smaller version of the Zamvolt with an electric motor and demonstrated this model to US Navy customers, proving that the ship was stable.

"Zamvolta" add-on. In the photo, under the external cladding, cork panels are visible for thermal insulation of the structure.

To prevent reflection from small protrusions on the surfaces, the vessel is painted with ferrite paint, which has partial properties of a radio-absorbing material.

Service

Incidents

Notes

DDG 1000 Zumwalt Class Destroyer
Andrew Tarantola. America "s Newest and Deadliest Destroyer Has Finally Set Sail (eng.). Gizmodo (October 29, 2013). Retrieved December 12, 2017.
Losses in Iraq // "Foreign military review": magazine. - 2008. - No. 8. - S. 76.
"Zumwalts" today will be like battleships during the Second World War - the command of the US Navy // October 16, 2013
The admiral called the latest destroyer adopted by the US Navy Batman's ship // Lenta.ru
Third Zumwalt-class destroyer to be named Lyndon B. Johnson
David Sharp. Largest Destroyer Built for Navy Headed to Sea for Testing (eng.). Associated Press (7 December 2015). Retrieved December 9, 2015.
The documents on the transfer of the lead destroyer class DDG-1000 "Zumwalt" to the US Navy were signed. World Arms Trade Analysis Center (CAMTO) (23 May 2016). Retrieved 23 May 2016.
Navy Requires $ 450 Million More to Complete Zumwalt-Class Due to Shipyard Performance (eng.). USNI News (6 April 2016). Retrieved November 27, 2016.

While all "progressive humanity ™" celebrates the launch of the American miracle of technology of the destroyer DDG-1000 of the Zumwalt class ... and the "quilted jackets" chuckle contemptuously - "I drank this ..." Having looked at these "ahi-sighs", I decided to figure out whether this "iron" is worth $ 4 with kopecks.

DDG-1000 ears grow from the program of "promising destroyer of the XXI century" DD21 (later - DD (X)), which was conceived simultaneously with the program of the "aircraft carrier of the XXI century" CVN-21 (CVN (X)), missile cruiser CG (X) and the Littoral Combat Ship program ( LCS). All programs are great and worthy of separate stories. But later. And I will definitely return to the littoral ship (LCS) and the new aircraft carrier later. :) In the meantime, we are talking about Zumwalt.

DD21 program recognized greasy even the American congressmen ... and cut it down by 50% ("well, well," the guys from Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding apparently chuckled at that moment, "we'll get some more sleep ... then") by cutting the "sturgeon" a little and cutting number of ships.
Initially, the military counted on 32 new destroyers. Then the program was sequentially cut to 24, seven and at the end - three pieces.

About the builders of the miracle ship

Besides building the ship itself General dynamics (the second at another shipyard is building Northrop grumman) the project also noted Raytheon (designers of the radar AN / SPY-3) and Lockheed martin (designed the second AN / SPY-4 radar).
Remember them?
Yes, yes - these are the ones who have a child without an eye (s). Only Raytheon wasn’t there, but instead it was Boeing.

Do you have a bad feeling about it?
It doesn't let you down. Here, too, it did not work out very "smoothly". :)

So, about the radar - a revolutionary dual-band radar was planned on Zumwalt DBR "Dual Band Radar" (AN / SPY-3 + AN / SPY-4).
The same should have been installed earlier on the newest aircraft carrier Gerald Ford (the aforementioned CVN-21 program), launched 2 years ago, but ...
The stone flower of Danila the master did not come out. (c) It will not seem to be dual band.

AN / SPY-4 - hacked to death. AN / SPY-3 - not finished yet.

Yes, an attentive reader noticed correctly - the aircraft carrier Gerald Ford, already launched in 2013, is still blind and deaf without a radar, and it is not clear when it will see the light.
So there is still no such aircraft carrier (or some already brazenly consider it in the hands of the United States). And optimists say that it is unlikely to be completed before 2018.

Armament and design features

The ship is armed ... in my opinion - strange.

1. Two automatic 155-mm gun mounts AGS (Advanced Gun System). The total ammunition load of the two guns is 600 rounds.

The guns were created for special ammunition and can not use conventional 155mm artillery shells.
The fantastic indicator of the firing range (they promised as much as 100 miles, in fact received 67 miles - 117 km) is explained by the fact that the so-called. corrected (GPS-guided) active rockets are essentially two-meter missiles with 10 kg of explosives (the mass of the projectile itself is 100 kg).
I wonder how much one such "shell" will cost? Considering the prices are much more basic.

2. 20 four-cell UVP Mk-57 with a total capacity of 80 missiles.

With these, everything is clear - the younger brother of the UVP Mk.41 for the deployment of Tomahawks, ASROC, ESSM and other missiles.
They are located along the sides of the ship before and after the superstructure, being the "additional protection" of the ship.

By the way - there was a misunderstanding about "Standards".
Precisely stated about the near-field missiles (ESSM), anti-submarine ASROC and about the "Tomahawks". With "Standards" it is not clear - because
On July 31, 2008, at a House Armed Services Committee hearing, it was reported by (Vice Admiral Barry McCallough, Deputy Commander of the United States Navy and Allison Stiller, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Shipbuilding Programs): “The DDG-1000 type URO destroyer is not capable of carrying out air defense in the theater of operations, including it cannot effectively use Standard anti-aircraft missiles of the SM-2, SM-3 or SM-6 types, and even more so cannot solve the problems of anti-missile defense against ballistic missiles ".
This is strange.
But judging by the fact that even in our pedivics, the SM-2, SM-3 and SM-6 missiles are not included in the armament nomenclature (and the wiki is usually about American weapons - on the contrary, it exaggerates, generating by strat bomber B-1B) - something is really wrong with them. Maybe they are not "friends" with the new radar?

3. Two single-barreled 57-mm anti-aircraft gun mounts Bofors Mk110 (ammunition - 480 rounds for each gun mount).
But what about the good old six-barreled Volcano-Falanx?
Two single-barreled 30 mm anti-aircraft guns from Bushmaster.
And what the publicized super accurate and powerful 57-mm, planned until 2012, turned out to be shitty?
Well, it's better for us - now the Zumwalt will not be able to meet the anti-ship missiles with powerful 57-mm shells from a range of 15 (!) Kilometers, as it could.
:)

4. Two helicopters (SH-60 LAMPS Seahok or MH-60R Seahok), or one helicopter and three MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicles.

The 14,500-tonne Zumwalt will be the world's largest destroyer, surpassing even the American Ticonderoga-class missile cruisers in displacement.
Only our Project 1144 nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great is larger than it.

TARKR "Peter the Great" (project 1144)

The strange shape of Zumwalt's hull - the sides tilted inside the hull, gun mount barrels hiding in the turret, faceted superstructure ... are conditioned by following the fashionable "Stealth" technology and the desire to hide from enemy radars.
I don’t know about you, but it’s a miracle (and a computer) that another Stealth iron held in the air - :)

Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk

Remembering truth aviation programs "Stealth" I have a question - what is the thickness radio-absorbing coating? Pedivikia writes that an inch, but I don't believe her.
We remember that the RPM thickness must be not less half the wavelength.

What about the resistance of the coating / RMP (radio-absorbing materials)?
Will it climb after every flight like the world's most expensive F-22 fighter?
How resistant is it to the aggressive marine environment?

Why is this all?

The main purpose of Zumwalt is to attack coastal and ground targets, as well as to combat aviation and provide fire support to troops from the sea.
At the expense of the fight against aviation - it is not clear (given the above about "Standards"). Although a lot could have changed since 2008, I admit.
With the rest, everything is clear. A ship to bring democracy from the sea to all Papuans.
Why Papuans?
Because the main "trick" - cunning 155-mm guns do not allow to handle the people living on the shore with impunity. For the ship will fall into the zone of action of coastal anti-ship missiles (let me remind you that both the Bastion with the P-800 Onyx and the Caliber with its various anti-ship missiles have a range of at least 300 km). And even an anti-ship missile of a lower class - for example, the not modernized X-35 (range 130 km) will get it.

One of the earliest versions of the DDG-1000

The second moment - to hit a point target with a cannon firing even from 100 kilometers - is unrealistic (that is why "cunning" projectiles with GPS guidance, which have a CEP of 50 meters, are used). But we remember about electronic warfare systems to protect just the same from such "high-precision" weapons (WTO) - from bombs, missiles and shells with GPS guidance.

So the price of such shots will be high, and the result (for a normal enemy, not for the Papuans) is doubtful.

And will the projectile (with a CEP of 50 meters and an explosive weight of only 10 kg) replace expensive precision weapons?
IMHO - clearly does not pull to replace corrected aerial bombs. We'll have to do it the old fashioned way - to carry GBUs and JDAMs with Hornets from an aircraft carrier.
And "Tomahawks" can be launched from the cheaper "Arlie Berks", which have already been set up by a carriage and a small cart.

Comparative sizes of "Zumwalt" and "Ticonderoga"

Another point is the absence of anti-ship weapons in the current configuration.
"Harpoons" were not given to Zumwalt, and to shoot from the miracle of cannons at ships is a rotten idea, in my opinion.
What is this destroyer without the ability to attack enemy ships?
It turns out - big "gunboat".

And the last thing - about the notorious "stealth".
Leaving alone the RPM of an inch thickness (what are we going to do with the meter and decimeter range locators?), Let's think about how the Zumwalt will mask the HEADLIGHT radar canvases from the enemy? You cannot close them with RPM, but a corner reflector of them - bless you!
Riddle.

How much is it?

And didn't you drink it? The question is natural.
For the initial cost of DDG-1000 from $ 0.75 billion has already reached $ 4.4 billion.

The nuclear aircraft carrier of the "Nimitz" class of the latest series cost, EMNIP 4.5 billion $. Aircraft carrier, Karl!

Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier

For Zumwalt, the figure of 4.4 billion seems to be not the limit.
Let's see how much the finished ship will cost, and two other sister ships under construction, for the completion of which money was squeezed out.

By the way, I came across news (I will find it - I will add a link) that Raytheon received a contract for the development of additional software for promising destroyers of the Zumwalt class worth ... don't fall - $ 241.3 million!
"What kind of software is this?" - ask. And the software is a graphical interface for destroyer engine control programs, as well as for damage control systems.
If additional software costs so much, how much did you pay for the main one? :)

Outcome

The DDG-1000 is increasingly positioned not as a wunderwaffe, but as a technology demonstrator. And it is right.
Because as a "super destroyer" Zumwalt does not look very convincing. Especially considering the absence of anti-ship missiles and the "ambiguity" of the main caliber artillery. If the Aegis standards SM-2/3/6 (which there is reason to suspect) is not included in its armament, then the matter is generally a pipe.
Yes, and the "promising radar" must first be brought to mind. And then another question - will there be "dual-band", or maybe you will have to play the good old AN / SPY-1D again.

The bottom line can be summarized that so far, apart from a demonstrator of technologies ... "Destroyer of the XXI century" is the most expensive gunboat on the planet.
Putting it down in pros or cons is up to you.

Enchanting comment, could not pass by:
In any case, the $ 3 billion ship is not serious.
anti-ship weapons costing at least $ 500 million to develop and $ 1 million worth of the product itself will sink these ships with engine damage graphical interface in batches.

P.P.S.
"Expert" has come to scold me here. Many thanks to him for his attention to my modest person. :)
Has caught me already in two inaccuracies!
And he tried to flog, but it was not there ... an expert of "All Russia" (with a bunch of regalia).
Zumwalt is not a destroyer, but a wildly expensive gunboat.

At the end of October, the lead destroyer of the Zumwalt project was launched at the American shipyard Bath Iron Works. Named after Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) is one of the most daring projects in recent American naval shipbuilding. Great hopes are pinned on the ships of the new project and high demands are made. The priority of the project and the atmosphere of secrecy surrounding it can be considered the main reasons that the launch of the constructed ship took place without pompous ceremonies and took place under cover of night. According to reports, all celebrations should take place a little later.

Towards the DDG-1000

The Zumwalt project dates back to the early nineties. Then the American naval forces developed requirements for promising ships, which were to enter service at the beginning of the 21st century. In connection with such terms of the beginning of the ships' service, promising programs received the designations CG21 (cruiser) and DD21 (destroyer). A little later, the cruiser and destroyer development programs were renamed CG (X) and DD (X). The requirements for the new ships were quite high. Both cruisers and destroyers had to carry out a wide range of combat and non-combat missions. Depending on the situation and the need, any of the promising ships had to attack enemy ships or submarines, protect formations from air attacks, evacuate the population from dangerous areas, etc.

Already the first calculations have shown that the cost of such a universal ship may not be within reasonable limits. In this regard, Congress insisted on the closure of one of the programs. Based on the results of the analysis, it was decided to abandon the CG (X) cruisers and concentrate all efforts on creating destroyers. Thus, after the decommissioning of all Ticonderoga-class cruisers in the US Navy, the destroyers Arleigh Burke and DD (X) were supposed to be used as multipurpose ships with missile weapons.

For financial reasons, one project was closed, and soon the second began to have problems. Full fulfillment of the customer's requirements, according to calculations, should have led to a significant increase in the cost of design and construction of ships. It was originally planned to build 32 destroyers of the new type. However, the assessment of their cost and budgetary possibilities led to several reductions in the planned series. Several years ago, Congress cut the Zumwalt destroyer budget to a level sufficient to build only three ships. It is worth noting that after that there were proposals to complete the construction of the lead destroyer and close the too expensive project, but the Pentagon was able to defend three ships. It should also be noted that by the time the design work on the Zumwalt project began, the requirements were changed towards simplification. Because of this, the existing promising project has several major differences from the planned DD (X).

Preparations for the construction of the lead ship DDG-1000 began in the fall of 2008, and the laying ceremony took place in November 2011. At the end of October 2013, the first destroyer of the new project was launched. Preliminary work on the construction of the hull of the second ship DDG-1001 (USS Michael Monsoor) started in September 2009 at Ingalls Shipbuilding. In 2015, it is planned to hand over the lead destroyer to the customer and continue the construction of the following ships. The order of the third destroyer DDG-1002 is planned for the 2018 financial year.

According to reports, the cost of each of the three new destroyers, taking into account the cost of creating the project, could surpass the $ 7 billion mark. For comparison, the new ships of the Arleigh Burke project cost the treasury about 1.8 billion, which is more than three times less than the cost of the Zumvolts. It should be borne in mind that the timing of the construction of the third promising destroyer, which is planned to be ordered only in 2018, may have a corresponding effect on its price. Thus, there is every reason to believe that the total cost of the program will continue to increase.

Ship appearance

The new Zumwalt-class destroyers will serve in the US Navy for the next several decades. It is the groundwork for the future that explains many original and bold technical solutionsthat immediately catch your eye. The most noticeable feature of the new ships is their appearance. In the past few decades, engineers have been trying to reduce the signature of ships for radar systems and have achieved some success in this. In the case of the Zumvolt destroyers, lowering visibility became the main task in the design of the hull and superstructure contours. A promising American destroyer looks like a long and narrow platform, in the middle of which there is a complex superstructure. All contours of the surface of the ship represent complex system planes conjugated to each other at different angles.

The hull of the ship has a relatively low side, which provides a decrease in visibility. It should also be noted that the sides are tilted inward. Due to the use of low sides, the authors of the project had to use an original stem of a characteristic shape. Such hull contours provide high running characteristics and at the same time reduce the ship's visibility to radars. In the mid-2000s, a demonstration boat AESD Sea Jet was built, on which the capabilities of the hull of the original shape were tested. The test results of the experimental boat showed the correctness of the calculations. Nevertheless, doubts are still expressed about the real characteristics of the new destroyer. There are suspicions that the bow of the ship will be buried in the water.

The ship USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) turned out to be large: the length of the hull is about 183 meters, the maximum width is 24.6 meters. The displacement of the destroyer is about 14.5 thousand tons. It is noteworthy that with such dimensions and displacement, the Zumvolt ships turn out to be larger not only the Orly Burke destroyers, but also the Ticonderoga cruisers.

In terms of their combat capabilities, promising ships should also surpass existing cruisers and destroyers. The abandonment of the CG (X) program led to the transfer of some of the functions previously assigned to the cruisers to the destroyers. Although in the course of determining the technical and financial appearance of the project, the promising destroyer lost some elements of equipment and weapons, in terms of its characteristics it should be ahead of the ships of the existing types.

Two Rolls-Royce Marine Trent-30 gas turbine engines with a total capacity of 105 thousand hp are used as the main power plant on the USS Zumwalt. The engines are connected to electric generators that supply energy to all of the ship's systems, including two electric motors that rotate the propellers. This architecture of the power plant made it possible to ensure the relatively high running characteristics of the ship. The declared maximum speed of the destroyer exceeds 30 knots. In addition, two generators provide power to all ship systems. The parameters of the electrical system allow in the future, as part of the modernization, to equip ships with new equipment and weapons.

The main armament of the Zumvolt destroyers is the Mk 57 universal vertical launcher. This system is a further development of a similar Mk 41 launcher used on modern cruisers and destroyers. The Zumwalt ship will carry 20 Mk 57 modules, located in different parts of the hull. Each of the modules has four missile slots. The launcher cell can hold from one to four missiles, depending on their size. It is proposed to load missiles of various types into 80 cells of launchers: anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, etc. The specific composition of the ammunition will be determined in accordance with the tasks that the ship must perform.

The main anti-aircraft ammunition for Zumwalt destroyers will be the RIM-162 ESSM missile. Earlier it was stated that the ships 'ammunition would include SM-2, SM-3 and SM-6 missiles, but at the moment there is no new information about such ships' weapons. It is possible that work is now continuing to prepare missile systems for use on promising destroyers, and the expansion of the available range of weapons will take place only after the lead ship is accepted into the Navy. To attack enemy submarines, Zumvolt-class destroyers will carry anti-submarine missiles RUM-139 VL-ASROC.

An interesting feature of the Zumwalt destroyer weapons complex is the fact that at the moment there is no information about the use of anti-ship missiles. Obviously, the existing RGM-84 Harpoon missiles were considered unsuitable for use on promising destroyers. A similar approach was also used in the formation of requirements for the latest series of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

In the bow of the DDG-1000 destroyer, it is planned to install two AGS artillery mounts with 155 mm guns. The AGS system is a turret with advanced underdeck units. An interesting feature of this artillery mount is the ammunition. Despite the caliber, the AGS system will not be able to use existing 155 mm ammunition. The LRAPS projectile was created specifically for the new shipborne artillery mount. Active-reactive ammunition is similar to a rocket: its length exceeds 2.2 meters, and after exiting the barrel, it must unfold the wings and stabilizer. With its own weight of 102 kg, the projectile will be able to carry an 11-kg warhead. Using inertial and satellite navigation systems, the LRAPS projectile will be able to hit targets at a distance of at least 80 km.

The total ammunition of the two artillery mounts will be 920 shells. In the stowage of the automatic loader of both AGS systems will be 600 ammunition. The large length of the projectile made it necessary to apply several interesting solutions in the design and operation of the automatic loader. So, ammunition will be supplied to the gun in an upright position. To do this, before loading the gun barrel must be raised to a vertical position. Shooting is possible with an elevation from -5 ° to + 70 °. The original automatic loader, according to official figures, provides a rate of fire of 10 rounds per minute. The possibility of firing in long bursts is declared.

It has been argued in the past that the Zumwalt destroyers could be the world's first ships to carry an electromagnetic cannon. Such developments already exist, but they are all far from being applied to military equipment... One of the main problems of this perspective is its colossal energy consumption. When using the power generators installed on the new destroyers, for firing from the electromagnetic cannon, almost everything would have to be turned off for a while. electronic systems... It is quite understandable that such features of the work put an end to the use of such systems in practice.

The artillery armament of promising destroyers consists of two AGS installations and two Swedish-made Bofors Mk 110 anti-aircraft guns. It is noteworthy that the caliber of these guns is much larger than the caliber of the previously used anti-aircraft systems. The reason for the use of 57-mm guns can be considered the fact that the power of 20- and 30-mm shells is not enough for guaranteed destruction of modern and promising anti-ship missiles. Thus, the greater power of 57 mm projectiles can compensate for the lower rate of fire at 220 rounds per minute.

The aft part of the Zumwalt ships provides a hangar for helicopters and unmanned aircraft... The destroyers will be able to carry one SH-60 or MH-60R helicopter, as well as up to three MQ-8 drones. Thus, a small aviation group will be able to provide observation of the environment and take over part of the functions of the ship's radio-electronic complex.

To monitor the situation and control weapons, Zumvolt-class destroyers will receive a Raytheon AN / SPY-3 multifunctional radar station with an active phased antenna array. Previously, it was planned to install a second Lockheed Martin AN / SPY-4 radar on new ships, but later it was abandoned. The use of two stations operating in different bands at once was considered too expensive and did not provide a corresponding improvement in performance. Thus, the ships under construction will be equipped with only one radar station.

Zumwalt destroyers will be able to search for submarines and mines. For this, they will be equipped with three sonar systems AN / SQS-60, AN / SQS-61 and AN / SQR-20. The first two are installed in the ship's hull, the third has a towed hydroacoustic station. It is argued that the characteristics of the sonar systems of the new destroyers will be significantly higher than that of the equipment of the existing ships of the Arleigh Burke class.

Quality and quantity

Based on the available data, it can be assumed that the promising Zumwalt-class destroyers will become the most advanced among all US Navy ships. Nevertheless, the existing advantages of a technical and combat nature, under certain circumstances, can be completely leveled by the existing disadvantages. The main disadvantage of the new project is its high cost. The cost of the lead ship, taking into account the development costs, is estimated at $ 7 billion. Thus, the new destroyer costs about the same as the last American Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77). Such a high cost of destroyers caused a dramatic reduction in the planned series.

Even if austerity congressmen do not push through the abandonment of one or even two Zumwalt-class destroyers, the total number of these ships in the US Navy will remain too small. Only three destroyers - even if their characteristics are head and shoulders above all existing ships - are unlikely to have a serious impact on the overall potential of the Navy. In other words, the latest destroyers are in danger of becoming what is commonly called a white elephant or a suitcase without a handle. An expensive project, the cost of which may look unreasonably high in the light of recent funding cuts, while maintaining existing views, will not be able to give the expected results in terms of the combat effectiveness of the fleet.

In the context of the Zumwalt project, the Pentagon's plans for ships of the Arleigh Burke project look interesting. According to the statements of recent years, the construction of these destroyers will continue, and they will serve until the seventies of the XXI century. How long the Zumvolt destroyers will serve is not yet clear. Nevertheless, even without taking into account the terms of service, we can confidently say that most of the combat work will fall on the ships of the old project.

In justification of the new ships, it should be said that a large number of new technical solutions and technologies were applied in the Zumwalt project. Therefore, promising destroyers will become a platform for testing equipment, weapons and technologies that will be used on ships of the future.

Based on materials from sites:
http://globalsecurity.org/
http://naval-technology.com/
http://raytheon.com/
http://navyrecognition.com/
http://navweaps.com/
http://baesystems.com/

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