General Dynamics' Zumwalt Class Destroyer Delivery To US Navy Delayed By A Year

Delivery of two electric powered General Dynamics' Zumwalt-class destroyer for the US Navy has been delayed by a year, various media reported Monday.

The Zumwalt (DDG 1000) was planned to be delivered by summer, but that has dropped back to November, on the other hand work on the third and last ship in the class, Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002), has not been affected, and that ship is still scheduled for delivery in December 2018.

US Navy spokeswoman Commander Thurraya Kent said, the delays were mainly due to challenges with the integration, installation and testing of unique technology on the new class of warships and the particular demand it has created for skilled electricians shipyard-wide.

Zumwalt was launched last October and is now 94 percent complete, Kent said, and the ship is expected to begin engineering sea trials later this year. The Monsoor is scheduled for launch later this year as well.

The Navy and Bath Iron Works now estimate that delivery of the first of three vessels in the $22 billion program,planned for September 2014, will now be delivered in November.

The DDG 1000 features integrated power system able to switch electrical power between propulsion, sensor and weapon systems, along with a new combat system and various technical innovations.