Documents
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. How we estimate this →
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.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the Zumwalt-class Destroyer can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
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 |
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 |
|---|---|
| Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability. | 3 |
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 1 |
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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Navantia Alvaro de Bazan class (F100) Head-to-head comparisons
Zumwalt-class Destroyer vs
Type 055 
Kirov-class 
F126 
Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship 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.
Similar systems
Related coverage
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