The biggest destroyer of the U.S. Navy was sent to sea on the first test. Accompanied by several tugs futuristic warship left the shipyard Bath Iron Works, was on the Kennebec river and out into the Atlantic ocean.
The cost of the 185-meter Zumwalt destroyer with a displacement of 15 thousand tons amounted to at least $ 4.4 billion. The ship is named in honor of Admiral Elmo Russell Zumwalt, who led the naval operations of the United States.
He was the first in its class. Nothing like it has ever been. This ship of the future, said at the Bath Iron Works.
Testing and finalizing of the vessel will take place throughout the winter. The new destroyer is to be put to the armament of U.S. naval forces next year.
The new destroyer runs on electricity, equipped with modern radar and sonar, missiles and powerful guns. He is designed to be invisible to detection systems of the enemy.
As reported by NBC News, the extended automation has significantly reduced the number of crew in comparison with standard destroyers.
Critics argue that the new form reduces hull resistance of the ship, though, and makes it invisible to enemy radar systems. Excessive electrification of the vehicle reportedly could increase its vulnerability to electronic warfare.
However, the us military is confident in the design of the Zumwalt and are going to build three ships of this class.