The US Navy’s New Warship Gun Costs $800,000 to Fire

The US Navy’s brand new $4 billion warship is an incredible technological feat. The futuristic DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer is equipped with two guns that can hit targets from a stunning 80 miles away. The only problem? Rounds for the guns cost over $800,000 each. And the Navy has now decided that it can’t justify spending that much.

According to Defense News, the warship’s two Long Range Land-Attack Projectile (LRLAP) guns were manufactured by Lockheed Martin and they work exactly as designed. But when the Navy cut back its order from 28 warships to three, the costs associated with the destroyers and its munitions skyrocketed.

“There is no blame on any individual,” a Navy official told Defense News. “The round was working, [and] the way forward was logical. It’s just that the cost with a three-ship buy became a very high cost.”

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