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United States General Dynamics Land Systems
Zumwalt-class Destroyer
Stealth-shaped guided-missile destroyer built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, originally designed for land attack but re-roled toward hypersonic strike after only three of a planned 32 hulls were built due to soaring cost.
In service since 2016 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
14,564
t
30
kn
80
VLS
175
crew
💲 ≈ $4,400,000,000 — Approximate per-ship program cost
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
US ITAR-controlled
Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.
Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2016. Status: active · ~3 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$11B – $15B
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~35 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 2x 155 mm Advanced Gun System
- VLS cells
Vertical-launch missile cells on a warship — a proxy for magazine depth. Higher means more missiles before rearming.
- 80 Stronger than 87% of warships
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
- Signature reduction
Radar cross-section shaping, RAM coatings, IR suppression. Actual RCS values are classified.
- Tumblehome hull shaping for reduced radar cross-section
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 190 m
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- AN/SPY-3 multi-function radar
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $4,400,000,000 Stronger than 11% of warships
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 3 Stronger than 41% of warships
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 45% of warships
Specifications compiled from public General Dynamics Land Systems and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
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Fincantieri Bergamini class (FREMM) Frequently asked questions
What is the main armament of the General Dynamics Land Systems Zumwalt-class Destroyer? +
The General Dynamics Land Systems Zumwalt-class Destroyer's primary weapon is the 2x 155 mm Advanced Gun System.
What is the General Dynamics Land Systems Zumwalt-class Destroyer used for? +
The General Dynamics Land Systems Zumwalt-class Destroyer is a warship typically used for deep strike.
How many countries operate the General Dynamics Land Systems Zumwalt-class Destroyer? +
The General Dynamics Land Systems Zumwalt-class Destroyer is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the General Dynamics Land Systems Zumwalt-class Destroyer cost? +
The General Dynamics Land Systems Zumwalt-class Destroyer has an approximate unit cost of 4,400,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
