The Navy Has Spent Billions On Stealth Destroyers (And the Ammo cost $800,000 a 'Bullet')

[rangerrebew]

June 5, 2019

The Navy Has Spent Billions On Stealth Destroyers (And the Ammo cost $800,000 a 'Bullet')

But do these ships have a real purpose?
by Sebastien Roblin

In addition to rapid-firing 6” guns, the Zumwalt had eighty Mark 57 missile vertical-launch cells dispersed across her bow and stern to minimize secondary explosions. These could target and launch Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, ASROC anti-submarine rockets, or quad-packs of Evolved Sea Sparrow medium-range air-defense missiles. The Zumwalt’s spacious landing pad and hangar could accommodate up to three MQ-8B helicopter drones or two MH-60R helicopters, which can carry Hellfire anti-tank missiles or torpedoes. The destroyers also boast a capable dual-bandwidth sonar for hunting submarines, but lack the torpedo armament found in Arleigh Burkes.

In January 2019, the Navy will commission its second hi-tech Zumwalt-class stealth destroyer, the USS Michael Monsoor. The third and last, USS Lyndon B. Johnson was launched this December 2018 and will be commissioned in 2022.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/navy-has-spent-billions-stealth-destroyers-and-ammo-cost-800000-bullet-61017

[SZonian]

Wiki: Originally, 32 ships were planned, with $9.6 billion research and development costs spread across the class. As costs overran estimates, the quantity was reduced to 24, then to 7, and finally to 3, significantly increasing the cost per ship to $4.24 billion (excluding R&D costs)[1][18][19][2] and well exceeding the per-unit cost of a nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarine ($2.688 billion).[20][21] The dramatic per-unit cost increases eventually triggered a Nunn–McCurdy Amendment breach and cancellation of further production.[22][23] In April 2016, the total program cost was $22.5 billion, with an average cost of $7.5 billion per ship.[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zumwalt-class_destroyer

Dollar cost averaging...it's why the B2 bomber is "worth" $2B +...

Not going to defend the program, reads like it was a normal, complete, USN fustercluck...but not a fan of intentionally misleading hype either.  If the 32 ships had been built at "cost", then the ammo cost would have been way down as well.