The $4.4 Billion Zumwalt Destroyer is About To Come Under the Navy’s Command

Say hello to the Navy’s little friend.

Brandon Friederich

May 17, 2016

The DDG 1000 conducting December sea trials

The pride and joy of the U.S. Navy’s technologically-advanced class of stealthy Zumwalt battleships is about to move one step closer to becoming fully operational.

This Friday, the 610-foot-long USS Zumwalt will officially be under the control of the U.S. Navy when it is handed-off to the military in a shipyard in Bath, Maine.

The destroyer is the the largest and most advanced ship in the Navy’s fleet, and is packed with cutting-edge military technology. Its exterior features sharp geometric lines and angles that make it nearly 50 times more difficult to detect compared to other vessels of a similar size.

The ship’s four gas-powered turbine engines power an integrated electrical system and create an energy-efficient power system that was designed by the defense technology company Raytheon.

“The quiet and economical design of the destroyers’ power system generates 100 percent of the energy needed for each vessel’s propulsion, electronics and weapons systems,” Raytheon explains on their website.

Of course, the warship also has some pretty awesome firepower, including electromagnetically charged railguns capable of shooting projectiles at a mind-boggling 5000 mph and two 155 mm cannons that can hit a target over 70 miles away.

With an estimated price tag of $4.4 billion, it’s understandable that the military plans to continue its trials of the ship after it’s officially commissioned by Captain James Kirk this October.

The ship is expected to begin its service in 2018.

h/t ABC News