The US Navy is turning a costly setback into a strategic advantage by retrofitting its first stealth destroyer, the USS Zumwalt, to house the nation’s first shipborne hypersonic weapon. At a Mississippi shipyard, workers are replacing the Zumwalt's twin turrets—originally designed for a gun system that was never activated due to its high cost—with new missile tubes. This modification will transform the Zumwalt into a platform capable of conducting fast, long-range, precision strikes, enhancing its operational utility. While the Zumwalt was initially intended for land-attack missions with its Advanced Gun System, the expensive gun system was scrapped and the ship's future became uncertain. However, experts see this new retrofit as a potential turning point. "The Navy could take victory from the jaws of defeat here and make these ships useful with the hypersonic weapon system," said Bryan Clark, a defense analyst at the Hudson Institute. Hypersonic weapons, capable of traveling at speeds greater than Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound), have become a priority for the US military, spurred on by tests from China and Russia. These weapons' high speed and maneuverability make them difficult to intercept, and the US has accelerated their development to maintain its technological edge. North Korea's Kim vows steadfast support for Russia’s war in Ukraine The system being integrated into the Zumwalt is the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS), a hypersonic weapon that launches like a ballistic missile before releasing a glide vehicle that travels at speeds seven to eight times the speed of sound. The Zumwalt will carry four missile tubes, each containing three hypersonic missiles, for a total of 12 weapons per ship. Despite criticisms of the Zumwalt class as an expensive misstep, the destroyers remain the Navy's most advanced surface warships, featuring innovations such as electric propulsion and a stealthy angular design. The Zumwalt is currently undergoing retrofit work at Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and is expected to return to active duty in the coming months. Entrepreneur who purchased a banana artwork for $6.2 million eats the fruit in Hong Kong While the development and procurement of these hypersonic weapons will cost billions, with an estimated price tag of $18 billion for 300 missiles, experts argue that the strategic advantages outweigh the cost. “The adversary has them. We never want to be outdone,” said retired Navy Rear Admiral Ray Spicer, underscoring the urgency of the US military’s pursuit of hypersonic technology.   Source: With inputs from agencies

The US Naval Special Warfare has partnered with Bangladesh Navy to "enhance stability" in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, and training for contingencies. The second joint combined exchange training (JCET) exercise of 2022 between Bangladesh Navy Special Warfare Diving and Salvage (BN SWADS) and US Naval Special Warfare concluded in Chattogram on Thursday. The JCET is the latest in a series of initiatives aimed at enhancing the forces' combat readiness and their ability to respond to maritime threats, said the US Embassy in Dhaka. Read: Bangladesh Navy deserves appreciation for ensuring maritime security while facing natural challenges: PM The BN SWADS and NSW trainers undertook a four-week physically demanding training exercise that familiarised participants with patrolling and crisis response tactics.

An American warship fired warning shots when vessels of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard came too close to a patrol in the Persian Gulf, the U.S. Navy said Wednesday. The Navy released black-and-white footage of the encounter Monday night in international waters of the northern reaches of the Persian Gulf. In it, lights can be seen in the distance and what appears to be a single gunshot can be heard, with a tracer round racing across the top of the water. Also Read: Iran, US warships in first tense Mideast encounter in a year Iran did not immediately acknowledge the incident. The Navy said the USS Firebolt fired the warning shots after three fast-attack Guard vessels came within 68 yards (62 meters) of it and the U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat USCGC Baranoff. “The U.S. crews issued multiple warnings via bridge-to-bridge radio and loud-hailer devices, but the (Guard) vessels continued their close range maneuvers,” said Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for the Mideast-based 5th Fleet. “The crew of Firebolt then fired warning shots, and the (Guard) vessels moved away to a safe distance from the U.S. vessels.” She called on the Guard to “operate with due regard for the safety of all vessels as required by international law.” Also Read: Iran builds at underground nuclear facility amid US tensions “U.S. naval forces continue to remain vigilant and are trained to act in a professional manner, while our commanding officers retain the inherent right to act in self-defense,” she said. The incident Monday marked the second time the Navy accused the Guard of operating in an “unsafe and unprofessional” manner this month alone after tense encounters between the forces had dropped in recent years. Footage released Tuesday by the Navy showed a ship commanded by the Guard cut in front of the USCGC Monomoy, causing the Coast Guard vessel to come to an abrupt stop with its engine smoking on April 2. The Guard also did the same with another Coast Guard vessel, the USCGC Wrangell, Rebarich said. Such close passes risk collisions. The interaction marked the first “unsafe and unprofessional” incident involving the Iranians since April 15, 2020, Rebarich said. However, Iran had largely stopped such incidents in 2018 and nearly in the entirety of 2019, she said. In 2017, the Navy recorded 14 instances of what it describes as “unsafe and or unprofessional” interactions with Iranians forces. It recorded 35 in 2016, and 23 in 2015. The incidents at sea almost always involve the Revolutionary Guard, which reports only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Typically, they involve Iranian speedboats armed with deck-mounted machine guns and rocket launchers test-firing weapons or shadowing American aircraft carriers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil passes. Some analysts believe the incidents are meant in part to squeeze President Hassan Rouhani’s administration after the 2015 nuclear deal. They include a 2016 incident in which Iranian forces captured and held overnight 10 U.S. sailors who strayed into the Islamic Republic’s territorial waters. The incident comes as Iran negotiates with world powers in Vienna over Tehran and Washington returning to the 2015 nuclear deal. It also follows a series of incidents across the Mideast attributed to a shadow war between Iran and Israel, which includes attacks on regional shipping and sabotage at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility.

Bangladesh and the US Navies are working to expand relationships and broaden maritime awareness during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Bangladesh 2020, commencing on Wednesday.

The U.S. Navy has welcomed its first Black female Tactical Aircraft pilot and tweeted Thursday “MAKING HISTORY!.”