The U.S. Navy plans to install its new hypersonic land-attack missiles on the first warship to get the missiles, the stealth destroyer USS Zumwalt.
And in the years that follow, the Navy could arm as many as 23 ships; all three Zumwalts as well as 20 late-block Virginia class attack submarines, with the Conventional Prompt Strike missile.
The eight-ton, three-foot-diameter CPS missile can travel farther than 1,700 miles at five times the speed of sound or faster. Exact specifications are classified.
The missile’s speed and range make it a key weapon for the Navy as the service prepares for possible war with Chinese forces in the western Pacific Ocean.
