The USS Lyndon B. Johnson, a Zumwalt-class destroyer, under construction in September 2020. The Zumwalt-class destroyers are now being equipped to fire the “Conventional Prompt Strike” (CPS) hypersonic missile, at astronomical cost. (Wikimedia Commons/James O’Keefe)

Does the US Navy Have a Hypersonic Missile Strategy? (If So, It’s a Bad One)

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The Government Accountability Office lambasted the Pentagon for its haphazard approach to hypersonic missile development—leading to a per-unit cost of around $67 million and an anemic production rate.

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report in mid-July entitled, “Navy Ship Modernization: DOD Needs Comprehensive Strategy to Field Hypersonic Missile Capability.” That report warned that the US Navy is still struggling with how to best deploy advanced hypersonic weapons on its warships.

The watchdog noted that the sea service’s efforts to convert its three Zumwalt-class “stealth” destroyers to operate with hypersonic launchers are now two years behind schedule. The issues with the refit have involved the installation of the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic missile.

The CPS Missile Costs How Much?!

The Zumwalt-class destroyers were originally armed with a pair of highly specialized main guns for long-range shore bombardment. The 155mm Advanced Gun System (AGS) was conceived when Washington was deeply involved in counterinsurgency operations in the Middle East—only to determine that the weapons were ill-suited to the return to great power........

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