he expanded U.S. presence will include the Navys next-generation warship, the DDG-1000 Zumwalt class destroyer, named after the former chief of naval operations Adm. Elmo Zumwalt Jr. The first of these 600-foot, 15,000-ton vessels is being built by General Dynamics in Maine at the Bath Iron Works, which had to construct a $40 million facility to accommodate the project.
The new destroyer was designed to operate both in the open ocean and in shallow, offshore waters. And it incorporates several stealth features, including: a wave-piercing hull that leaves almost no wake; an exhaust suppressor to reduce the vessels infrared (heat) signature; and an exterior that slopes inward at a steep angle, creating a radar signature said to be no larger than a fishing boats.
Escalating research and development expenses compelled the Navy to scale back its initial plan for 32 ships to 3 (each of which now costs more than $7 billion). The first of the new vessels, the USS Zumwalt, will be christened in 2013.
Read more: Introducing the USS Zumwalt, the Stealth Destroyer | Science & Nature | Smithsonian Magazine
Introducing the USS Zumwalt, the Stealth Destroyer | Science & Nature | Smithsonian Magazine
The new destroyer was designed to operate both in the open ocean and in shallow, offshore waters. And it incorporates several stealth features, including: a wave-piercing hull that leaves almost no wake; an exhaust suppressor to reduce the vessels infrared (heat) signature; and an exterior that slopes inward at a steep angle, creating a radar signature said to be no larger than a fishing boats.
Escalating research and development expenses compelled the Navy to scale back its initial plan for 32 ships to 3 (each of which now costs more than $7 billion). The first of the new vessels, the USS Zumwalt, will be christened in 2013.
Read more: Introducing the USS Zumwalt, the Stealth Destroyer | Science & Nature | Smithsonian Magazine
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Introducing the USS Zumwalt, the Stealth Destroyer | Science & Nature | Smithsonian Magazine