According to a recent report from the U.S. Naval Institute website (USNI), a notice issued by the U.S. Naval Command mentioned information about the "Zumwalt" class destroyer upgrade and installation of hypersonic missile . The first two ships of the "Zumwalt" class , the USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) and the USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001), will be launched at Ingalls in Pascago, Mississippi. Shipyard carries out modification work.
(The "Zumwalt" class No. 3 ship "Lyndon Johnson" under construction)
According to reports, the U.S. Navy has not yet given a specific start date for the upgrade work. Previously, " Zumwalt " project manager Matthew Schroeder has revealed that the Navy will begin installing hypersonic missiles in October 2023, but this plan is still in the PPT stage. The U.S. Navy plans to dismantle one or all of the 155mm "Advanced Gun Systems" (AGS) on both ships, as well as the upper and lower ordnance rooms, ammunition depots , loading systems, etc., freeing up a five-story cabin to install the "advanced gun system" "Payload Module", that is, four large vertical launchers to launch the "Common-Hypersonic Glide Body" (C-GHB) hypersonic missile jointly developed by the U.S. Army and Navy.
("Zumwalt" class destroyers must dismantle the main gun in order to install hypersonic missiles)
C-GHB's missile body length reaches 9.1 meters, far exceeding the 7.93 meters depth of the MK-57 vertical launch system, coupled with the "Zhu The Mk-57s of the "Mwalt" class are distributed on both sides of the ship. In order to make enough space, the main gun and MK-57 vertical launch system can only be removed. The U.S. Navy has not yet determined how many hypersonic missiles will be installed on each ship. One main gun can be removed to install four "advanced payload modules," so the maximum number of missiles it can carry will not exceed eight.
(Screen of C-GHB test firing)
After such a transformation, the "Zumwalt" class, which originally "went from sea to land" with near-shore fire support as its main tactical goal, once again returned to ocean-going sea control. old road. In addition to the influence of the US military strategic background, the decision was also stimulated by China's 055 destroyer.
(Pictures of the moment when 055 launches missile circulated on the Internet)
In the video released by the North Sea Fleet in April this year, the 055 destroyer launched a missile with a warhead that clearly had a double-cone structure. After evaluation, the U.S. Naval Intelligence Department identified the missile as the "YJ-21" hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile, with a range of 1,000 to 1,500 kilometers, an average flight speed of Mach 7 to 8, a terminal speed of up to Mach 10, and a strike of 1,000 kilometers It only takes 7 minutes to reach the goal from meters away.
Faced with the Type 055 destroyer, which already has the hypersonic speed strike capability, the U.S. Navy feels great pressure. The 1,000 to 1,500-kilometer range of the "Eagle Strike-21" has exceeded the combat radius of the existing aircraft carrier . It can launch attacks outside the firepower range of the aircraft carrier battle group. Thanks to its extremely high speed, it can leave enemy aircraft carriers The battle group's warning time is only 7 minutes, and its terminal speed of Mach 10 can easily break through the US ship's air defense system , and even the "Aegis" system cannot intercept it.
(The Type 055 destroyer equipped with the "YJ-21" can cause a devastating blow to the aircraft carrier)
The Type 055 destroyer equipped with the "YJ-21" can launch effective attacks outside the combat radius of the aircraft carrier battle group. , is the well-deserved " aircraft carrier killer ". In the future, as more catapult-type aircraft carriers of the Chinese Navy are put into service, the organic combination of the Type 055 destroyer equipped with the "YJ-21" and the catapult aircraft carrier will form a force capable of both offshore anti-access/area denial and ocean-going sea control operations. And a surface force with strong combat effectiveness.
("YJ-21" has greatly improved the strike capabilities of China's aircraft carrier strike group)
It should be said that "YJ-21" is not just a new weapon, but a brand new combat system and tactical thinking. Just like the battleship era in which large ships and cannons were eliminated by aircraft carriers, ship-borne hypersonic missiles are also a "killer" that can change the rules of naval warfare.In the foreseeable future, a “hypersonic revolution” that will reshape the rules of naval warfare in the 21st century will sweep the world.
