Lockheed Martin has secured a $1.35 billion contract modification from the US Navy to support the development, production, and integration of the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic weapon system on the USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000). The agreement includes engineering services, system integration, program oversight, procurement of critical materials, testing, and specialized manufacturing tools. The majority of the work will be conducted in Denver, with project completion expected by September 2032.
This contract follows extensive upgrades to the Zumwalt-class destroyer carried out by HII Ingalls Shipbuilding, which reconfigured the ship to support hypersonic weapons. The original 155mm Advanced Gun Systems were removed and replaced with four 87-inch missile launch tubes, each capable of carrying three Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) missiles. These missiles form the core of a joint Navy-Army hypersonic capability designed to deliver long-range, non-nuclear precision strikes beyond 2,775 kilometers.
With CPS integration, the Zumwalt-class is evolving into a long-range strike platform suited for blue-water operations rather than its initial near-shore mission profile. Ship-based testing is expected around 2027–2028 after delays in land-based validation. The Navy intends to expand CPS deployment across additional Zumwalt-class destroyers, including USS Michael Monsoor and USS Lyndon B. Johnson, as well as future integration on Virginia-class submarines.
