The USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002), the third and final Zumwalt-class destroyer of the U.S. Navy launched Dec. 9, will be assigned to Asia as part of the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM).
The stealth destroyer, who with her two sister-ships is the most advanced destroyer in the world, was launched from the General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works in Maine. Her commissioning should take place in 2020 at the earliest.
It's important for the DDG-1000 program and the shipyard to reach this major milestone (launching the destroyer), said Capt. Kevin Smith, who is DDG1000 program manager assigned to the Naval Sea Systems Command.
Capt. Smith noted that with the first two ships of the class underway -- the USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) and the USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) -- the Navy is excited to continue the next phase of construction of the USS Lyndon B. Johnson.
Originally built to provide naval fire support for U.S. Marines storming enemy-held islands in Asia, the Zumwalt-class has since been given the role of sinking enemy warships. In pursuit of its surface warfare role, the Zumwalt-class will be reconfigured and re-equipped to deploy anti-ship and surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems.
Geopolitical realities in Asia compelled Navy leaders to re-assess the Zumwalts role. All three Zumwalts will be assigned to Asia as part of USPACOM.
At the start of the year, the Navy asked Congress for funding to equip the Zumwalts with combat-proven missiles systems that can destroy enemy warships and aircraft at long-range. By the end of the decade, the Zumwalts will deploy Raytheon's RIM-174 Standard Extended Range Active Missile (ERAM), also known as Standard Missile 6 (SM-6).
This missile can be used to shoot down fixed and rotary-wing aircraft; unmanned aerial vehicles or aerial drones and anti-ship cruise missiles in flight over sea and land. With a range of 500 km, SM-6 can also be configured as a high-speed anti-ship missile.
The Zumwalts will also be armed with Raytheon's new Maritime Strike Tomahawk presently under development. This upgrade to the existing Tomahawk Block IV will be equipped with an anti-ship seeker that will allow it to engage and destroy fast-moving enemy warships. Maritime Strike Tomahawk is expected to achieve an initial operational capability (IOC) in the fiscal year 2022.
In November 2017, the Navy decided to change the role of the Zumwalt-class from land-attack to anti-surface warfare. Former USPACOM Commander Admiral Harry Harris told Congress the change was motivated by the growth of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and the need for more surface warships capable of enemy destroyers and frigates at long-range.
