Its Been Awhile Since Mentioning The Zumwalt

Back in early April 2016 an article was posted about the Zumwalt. 

At Sea Aboard the Zumwalt Defense News Feature.

It was a walk through in words and pictures of the Zumwalt DDG 1000 dress rehearsal before acceptance trials. It mentioned in this article it would be about two years before its weapons load would be accomplished. The Zumwalt at that time was bare of weapons and munitions. The weapons systems were not on board but awaited a San Diego port duty station for up grading DDG 1000 of its weapons. In fact a debate was on whether to install a rail gun which turned out to be a punt on fourth down procurement cycle. A later follow-on Zumwalt class destroyer would be fitted with the "Rail Gun".

USNI News photo

The interim period of time from then to now, the Zumwalt has been fitted with a vast variety of weapon systems, which have yet to be completed throughout an estimated June 2018 time frame. All first time installations and testing’s of a new class of ship such as a Zumwalt should expect time to drag on until the Navy knows what it has or will have.

Seven months out from June and 18 months since builders trials the Zumwalt has gained funding for the final phases of equipment and systems installations. 

Navy Updating Missions Systems Equipment

The Zumwalt will rapidly become ready for war in a way potential adversary will have an almost impossible task of stopping its capability. The North Korean turmoil will miss the Zumwalt's presence in the current situation. The former Zumwalt-Winging It article mentioned the ship was similar to a submarine configuration as all activities would be held under its skin except aviation access and a few other "outside" sea going tasks. Everything else would be held under closed view from natural light.

It becomes mind boggling as to what this ship will able to do. If the F-35 is a flying computer synchronizing the battle space from above, then the Zumwalt has the same only from the surface. It will have in the future an advanced dual band radar  AN/SPY-6  just for the navy.

The summary of it all is a 3D radar system that can capture and lock down movement of any objects from a specific or broad band sensing. Currently the most advance Radar systems being installed are on the CVN 78 Gerald R Ford i.e.  AN/SPY-3 types.

The AN/Spy-6 is so classified there is no other capability existing in the world. The Zumwalt will be able to coordinate current military systems outside the ships battle space under and above the seascape.

Expect the Zumwalt to be loaded with a full array of destroyer type missiles, torpedoes and other hidden weapons of mass destruction. All will be automated, plug and play type systems for which the recent funding award will hook-up.