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US' new stealth destroyer may finally have affordable ammo
To put it mildly, the US screwed up when it decided to carry on with its Zumwalt-class stealth destroyers when they depended on smart ammo the Navy couldn't afford. However, it might have a clever workaround. Officials speaking to USNI News say the Navy is looking at Raytheon's Excalibur, a GPS-guided artillery round, as a substitute for the custom LRLAP (Long Range Land Attack Projectile) shells the Zumwalt's main guns were designed to use. Excalibur has roughly half the range at about 30 miles, but it costs much less -- about a quarter of the $800,000-plus cost per round of LRLAP. It can also hit moving targets where LRLAP couldn't.
The USS Zumwalt can't afford its own $800,000-per-round ammo
The USS Zumwalt, America's newest stealth destroyer packs some impressive firepower but there's just one problem: the US Navy can't afford the ammunition for the vessel's 155-millimeter Advanced Gun Systems. These weapons are designed to fire a GPS-guided shell, dubbed the Long Range Land Attack Projectile, up to 60 miles where it strikes with unprecedented accuracy. What's more, the Zumwalt can lob up to ten of these shells every minute. But while the LRLAPs are quite lethal, they're also ludicrously expensive at $800,000 a pop.
Stealth on the Navy's newest destroyers might be too good
America's new Zumwalt-class destroyers have been built with strong stealth capabilities, however that feature has caused a few unforeseen issues, according to a new report from Military.com. During sea trials last month, the Navy discovered that the ship's reduced radar signature was almost too effective and might require onboard radar reflectors when not in theater.
The Navy wants to deploy railguns on its latest destroyer
The US Navy's latest toy, a railgun that can fire projectiles at seven times the speed of sound, maybe be deployed sooner than thought. The original plan was to test it on joint high-speed vessels (JHSVs) in 2016, but the Navy is reportedly building an operational unit that could be installed on the USS Lyndon. B. Johnson, according to the Associated Press. That ship, the last of three Zumwalt-class destroyers, would be an ideal candidate because its Rolls Royce turbine generators produce 78 megawatts, more than enough to power the electromagnetic weapon.
