The newest destroyer of the USA turned out to be defective.

One of the two power plants on the newest American stealth guided missile destroyer, Michael Monsoor, failed upon completion of the ship's acceptance tests. This was announced by Rear Admiral William Galinis of the US Navy, who is the head of the program for the construction of Zumwalt-class destroyers, also known as DDG-1000, which includes Michael Monsoor.

Photo: wikipedia.org, public domain

“We decided it would be better to change the turbine before sending the ship to San Diego,” Galinis said. The ship is scheduled to leave for San Diego, California, in late fall to begin testing its combat systems there next year. The destroyer is currently stationed in Bath, Maine, on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Rolls-Royce specialists, according to the latter, are preparing to replace the turbine at a cost of $20 million together with engineers from the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works corporation, which produces Zumwalt-class destroyers.

Some other US Navy ships are also equipped with these same gas turbines. In addition, they are used by the Royal Navy of Great Britain and warships of Italy and the Republic of Korea. Last December, the destroyer Michael Monsoor was forced to return to the Bath shipyard just a day after the start of factory trials. His harmonic filter, which is used in complex electrical systems to prevent unintentional power surges and damage to sensitive equipment, broke down.

These ships of futuristic forms are the largest of the American missile destroyers.

Project start

Their construction began in 2007. The lead ship was laid in 2010 year.

The destroyers of the project DDG-1000 are designed to provide fire support in amphibious operations and combat operations in coastal areas, launching missile and artillery strikes against ground targets, including in the depths of the enemy’s territory. In addition, their most important task will be to provide zonal air defense and anti-missile defense of aircraft carrier multipurpose groups.

"The Invisible Man" for $4,4 billion

To ensure stealth during the construction of the destroyer, stealth technologies were used to the maximum extent, which is expected to give it the ability to destroy any aircraft with its anti-aircraft missile system before the ship is guaranteed to be detected by it. Stealth is also ensured through the use of new architecture: the “cutting wave” hull shape, integral single-block superstructure and others. According to some reports, the ship will be in a semi-submerged position in battle. According to experts, all this increases its survival rate by 2-3 times.

The destroyer is equipped with a multifunctional radar tracking station and universal vertical launchers (UVPU) of the MK 41 type on the 80 cells located along the sides (two groups in the bow and the stern). The UVPU will load sea-based cruise missiles, anti-aircraft guided missiles and anti-submarine guided missiles. Artillery armament consists of two 155-mm units firing guided missiles at a range of 185 km, and two 57-mm small-caliber anti-aircraft systems. The ship is equipped with a hydroacoustic complex with a flexible long towed antenna, a sonar mine detection station and two uninhabited underwater vehicles.

Its aviation armament includes two MH-60R helicopters or one MH-60R helicopter and three unmanned aerial vehicles.

And Zumwalt cost the US state budget at least $ 4,4 billion.

The smallest crew

Despite the fact that in size (length - about 186 m, width - about 25 m), Zumwalt exceeds destroyers previously built in the United States, its crew will be the smallest for ships of this class. 147 sailors and officers will serve on the Zumwalt. This was achieved by automating certain ship systems.

To power them, a power plant is configured capable of generating about 78 megawatts of electricity. This, as the US Navy explains, is enough to provide electricity to “a small or medium-sized city.” The power plant of a nuclear aircraft carrier produces approximately the same amount.

As expected, the full integration of Zumwalt into the Navy will end in 2018, after a series of upcoming tests and fine-tuning.

Projectile for $ 800 thousand

Earlier, the Pentagon decided to curtail the production of guided missiles to artillery shells, which are installed on the destroyers Zumwalt. The reason was the high cost of these ammunition: up to $ 800 thousand per unit. And this price could still increase.

The reason for this was the decision of the US government to significantly reduce the number of Zumwalt-class destroyers purchased from the military-industrial complex. Initially it was planned to build 28 of them, then seven and, finally, only three. Accordingly, the cost of various ship systems has increased sharply.

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