Does the USS Zumwalt pose a threat to the PLA Navy?
The USS Zumwalt. (Photo/US Navy)
After last year's launch of the USS Zumwalt, the lead ship of the US Zumwalt class of guided missile destroyers, the Beijing-based Sina Military Network has discussed the challenges the People's Liberation Army Navy would face if the US deployed the vessel in a potential conflict in the Western Pacific.
The US Navy plans to deploy the Zumwalt to the Asia-Pacific, the Sina Military Network said, and the destroyer may be used to counter China's Anti-Access and Area Denial (A2/AD) strategy in the Far East. It added that the Zumwalt can be seen as a challenge to the PLA Navy along with the current US Arleigh Burke-class destroyers operating in the region.
Sina Military Network said that the biggest advantage of the Zumwalt is its stealth capability, with the 14,000-tonne destroyer appearing as a fishing boat on enemy radar. The vessel's Integrated Power System, designed by Raytheon, also makes it as quiet as the Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine.
The Zumwalt is equipped with two 155mm Advanced Gun Systems — one of the most powerful weapons aboard the vessel. When fired with regular munition, the range of Advanced Gun System is 40 kilometers, and can be extended to 185 kilometers when installed with Extended Range Guided Munition.
With the ability to launch 12 munitions a minute, a single Advanced Gun System can be as deadly as an army artillery unit equipped with 155mm guns. However, the Zumwalt is equipped with fewer missiles than most of the US Navy's current surface combat vessels. The Zumwalt carries 80 missile cells, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer can carry 96 while a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser can carry 128.
The Zumwalt is thus designed and constructed based on a backward military concept, according to the Sina Miltary Network. Since it looks more like a battleship instead of a modern destroyer, the report said this vessel can become a very easy target once Chinese aircraft and ships have the chance to get close to it. Without a sufficient budget for the upkeep of its SPY-4 radar, the Zumwalt would be unable to launch SM-3 air defense missiles against incoming missile or aircraft, the report said.
Despite its billion dollar price tag and cutting-edge features, the only thing the Zumwalt can do now is to serve as a platform to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles far away from the Chinese coast, the report said. This is because it lacks the ability to defend itself in close combat with Chinese fighter bombers, the report concluded.
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