USS Zumwalt land-attack destroyer to fire new missiles and laser weapons.

The stealthy U.S. warship will use laser weapons and upgraded interceptor missiles to track and destroy targets.

Pacific Ocean, December 8, 2016. The U.S. Navy's most technologically advanced surface ship USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) steams in formation with USS Independence (LCS 2). Upon arrival, Zumwalt will begin the installation of her combat systems, testing and evaluation, and operation integration with the fleet. (Picture source: U.S. Navy Combat Camera / Petty Officer 1st Class Ace Rheaume)

The U.S. Navy’s stealthy new first-of-its-kind destroyer surface warship will incinerate targets with lasers, fire advanced weapons to destroy moving targets at sea and use upgraded interceptor missiles to track and knock-out approaching enemy fire - all as part of a broader strategic shift to prepare the high-tech ship for massive, “blue-water” maritime warfare on the open seas. Kris Osborn of Warrior Maven reports.

The USS Zumwalt, now going through combat and weapons activation, will receive new Maritime Tomahawk missiles able to track and destroy moving targets at sea, SM-6 IA interceptors, long-range precision guns and laser weapons, says Capt. Kevin Smith. the Zumwalt-class destroyer program manager. “We are no longer what is called a land attack that operates in the littorals. We are now an offensive surface strike platform for blue water. The Navy made a decision to go that way - for good reason,” Smith said. The Zumwalt, he said, is engineered with space, weight, and power configurations able to accommodate a new generation of weapons. It uses an electric drive with an integrated power system engineered to propel the ship as well as generate enormous volumes of onboard electrical power for computing, maintenance, and advanced weapons like high-energy lasers.