The Navy’s Last Stealth Zumwalt Destroyer Comes with 80 Megawatts of Power

Having completed sea trials, it will now have its combat system activated.

Back in December of 2017, we brought you news of the U.S. Navy's stealth destroyer the U.S.S. Monsoor breaking down during sea trails. At the time, we asked the question if this event would spell the end for Zumwalt-class destroyers?

It seems the Zumwalts are alive and well with the U.S. Navy’s third and final Zumwalt-class ship, the U.S.S. Lyndon B. Johnson, recently completing basic sea trials, according to 1945. This means that the massive ship will now have its combat system activated.

Zumwalt-class destroyers are top-of-the-range warships with advanced electrical generation systems. These systems power the ship's engines, electronics, weapons, and propulsion systems.

Each Zumwalt-class destroyer comes with an Integrated Power System. These generate up to 80 megawatts of power and have been included with the expectation that the ships will be equipped with a new generation of power-hungry weapons such as electromagnetic railguns and perhaps even lasers.

"The Zumwalt-class destroyer will be capable of performing a range of deterrence, power projection, sea control, and command and control missions while allowing the Navy to evolve with new systems and missions. Stealthy, powerful, and lethal, the Navy created the Zumwalt-class to bridge from current needs to future capabilities, adding space and power accommodating systems not yet imagined but designed to counter adversaries that challenge us now and in the decades to come," writes a U.S. Navy website.

"Designed to combat the threats of today as well as those of coming decades, these ships are equipped with numerous advanced technology and survivability systems."

The Navy has special plans for the U.S.S. Lyndon B. Johnson, according to USNI News. It will not be taking custody of the ship from the builder’s yard and completing the combat system at the Naval Base San Diego as is usually done for these world-class destroyers. Instead, it will contract a private shipyard to install the combat system and will apprehend the ship once it is fully complete.

Source: https://interestingengineering.com/the-navys-last-stealth-zumwalt-destroyer-comes-with-80-megawatts-of-power