United States destroyer, 15,907 tons displacement, propelled by two Rolls-Royce gas turbines. Key figures: displacement 15,907 tons, length 190 m, top speed 30 knots, crew 147, unit cost $4.2B, built 3. In service with 1 navy — United States (2).
| Subtype | Guided-missile destroyer |
| Displacement | 15907 tons |
| Crew | 147 members |
| Width | 24.6 m (80.7 ft) |
| Length | 190.0 m (623.4 ft) |
| Propulsion | 2 × Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines (35.4 MW each) driving Curtiss-Wright electric generators; 2 × Rolls-Royce RR4500 turbine generators (3.8 MW each); 2 × propellers driven by electric motors (Total: 78 MW) |
| Shaft power | 104,600 hp |
| Maximum speed | 30 knots |
The Zumwalt-class destroyer is a class of three United States Navy guided-missile vessels designed for stealth and multi-mission operations. The class emerged from the DD-21 land attack destroyer program, later designated DD(X), which sought to provide naval gunfire support to meet a congressional mandate for the role previously filled by battleships. While the Navy initially planned to procure 32 ships, research and development costs combined with a shift in the perceived global threat environment led to the reduction of the class to three units. The program reached a total cost of $22.5 billion, resulting in a Nunn-McCurdy Amendment breach.
The design is characterized by a wave-piercing tumblehome hull form, which narrows above the waterline to reduce the ship's radar cross-section. The vessels utilize an integrated electric propulsion system, with gas turbines driving generators that provide power to electric drive motors and shipboard systems via the Total Ship Computing Environment Infrastructure. This Linux-based network manages automated systems for fire suppression and cargo handling, enabling the class to operate with a smaller crew than contemporary destroyers. The hulls incorporate a peripheral vertical launch system, distributing missile cells along the outer shell to protect the interior from magazine explosions. The ship's composite deckhouse encloses many of its sensors, though the final vessel of the class utilizes a steel deckhouse.
The primary armament was originally centered on the Advanced Gun System. Following the cancellation of its specialized ammunition, the Navy re-purposed the ships for surface warfare. Modernization efforts begun in 2023 involve the removal of the gun systems to accommodate hypersonic missiles in advanced payload modules. For undersea warfare, the class utilizes a dual-band sonar suite and a multi-function towed array. Aviation facilities include a flight deck and hangar capable of supporting helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The lead ship, USS Zumwalt, entered service in October 2016, and USS Michael Monsoor followed in 2019. Both vessels are homeported in San Diego. The third ship, Lyndon B. Johnson, remains under construction: she transferred to Ingalls Shipbuilding in 2022 for combat system activation and entered dry dock in January 2025 for Conventional Prompt Strike integration, with delivery expected in April 2027. In 2019, the lead vessel conducted heavy weather testing off the coast of Alaska, where the hull form demonstrated stability in sea state six conditions. Four Conventional Prompt Strike launch tubes were fitted to Zumwalt by November 2025, and the ship completed builder's sea trials on 21 January 2026, her first time underway since 2023. She is due back in service in late 2026, initially without hypersonic rounds, the first at-sea flight test having slipped to 2027; Michael Monsoor is to begin the same modernization thereafter.
The Congressional Budget Office costed the U.S. Navy's proposed Trump-class battleship at roughly 35,000 tons. GlobalMilitary.net inventory data shows the largest cruiser or destroyer in service anywhere displaces 15,907 tons, and only 14 hulls worldwide exceed 11,000.
The U.S. Navy expects the stealth destroyer USS Zumwalt to rejoin the fleet by September 2026, becoming its first surface warship armed with Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missiles.