The US Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs office has awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.1 billion contract for work on integrating hypersonic strike capability onto the Zumwalt-class destroyers.
More specifically, the company will be installing the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon system onto the Zumwalts. CPS is a hypersonic boost-glide weapon system that enables long range missile flight at speeds greater than Mach 5, with high survivability against enemy defenses.
The contract value could grow to more than $2 billion, if all options are exercised, according to a Pentagon contract announcement from February 17.
The combination of the CPS capability, and the stealth and mobility of the Zumwalt-class destroyer, will provide the United States’ first sea-based hypersonic strike capability.
According to the Pentagon, the CPS program, which is being developed alongside the US Army’s Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) program and shares a common hypersonic glide body with it, is on track to support the first fielding of a hypersonic capability “by the mid-2020s.”
The navy said earlier this month that it plans to test-fire the hypersonic weapon system from USS Zumwalt by the end of 2025.
The contract awarded to Lockheed is expected to run until September 2027.
As a prime contractor, Lockheed Martin will provide launcher systems, weapon control, All Up Rounds (AURs), which are the integrated missile components, and platform integration support for this naval platform.
The contract also provides for additional AURs plus canisters for the US Army’s LRHW testing, training and tactical employment.
“Lockheed Martin continues to advance hypersonic strike capability for the United States through this new contract,” said Steve Layne, vice president of Hypersonic Strike Weapon Systems at Lockheed Martin. “Early design work is already underway. Our team looks forward to supporting the warfighter by providing more options to further protect America at sea.”
CPS shares a common AUR with the Army LRHW and can be launched from multiple platforms including surface ships, submarines, and land-based mobile launchers. Lockheed Martin is the prime systems integrator for the CPS and LRHW weapon systems.
