U.S. Navy Delays Zumwalt Destroyer Hypersonic Missile Test to 2027 as Costs Reach $2 Billion.
20 Jul, 2026 - 12:45
Naval News Navy 2026
The U.S. Navy’s Zumwalt-class destroyers are now 24 months behind schedule in gaining the Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missile, delaying the fleet’s first surface-launched hypersonic strike capability. A Government Accountability Office report published on July 17, 2026, says the first ship-based flight test has slipped to the third quarter of fiscal year 2027, pushing back certification, crew qualification, and operational deployment.
USS Zumwalt was 94 percent through modernization in January 2026, but the three-ship conversion effort has risen from $1.8 billion to at least $2 billion. With only three destroyers in the class, any delay removes a third of the planned force and makes it harder to sustain a cycle of deployment, training, and maintenance.
Ezoic
A Zumwalt-class destroyer is shown at sea. The U.S. Navy is modernizing all three ships of the class to carry up to 12 Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missiles, although the program is currently running about two years behind schedule (Picture source: U.S. DoW).
A Zumwalt-class destroyer is shown at sea. The U.S. Navy is modernizing all three ships of the class to carry up to 12 Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missiles, although the program is currently running about two years behind schedule (Picture source: U.S. DoW).
CPS is a boost-glide missile rather than an air-breathing hypersonic cruise missile. Its All-Up Round consists of a two-stage solid-propellant booster and a Common Hypersonic Glide Body manufactured by Dynetics, a Leidos subsidiary, containing what the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation describes as a kinetic-energy projectile warhead. The booster accelerates the glide body toward the upper atmosphere; after separation, the glide body follows a lower and less predictable trajectory than a conventional ballistic missile and uses aerodynamic lift to maneuver toward the target. The Navy has disclosed a speed above Mach 5 and classifies the specific range and accuracy requirements, although recent testing and simulation demonstrated compliance with minimum range and accuracy thresholds.
https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/navy-news/2026/u-s-navy-delays-zumwalt-hypersonic-missile-test-to-2027-as-costs-reach-2-billion
