Zumwalt-class destroyer passes mission systems test

The contractor responsible for the mission systems equipment that will be used on the Zumwalt-class destroyer has successfully completed a production readiness review — one of the final steps before construction.

The successful review validates the ship systems’ stability and maturity and enables the program to proceed to full production, Raytheon Co. said in a statement released today.

The review confirmed that the various designs, technologies and components meet the program specifications and requirements necessary to prevent unexpected delays once production begins, they said.

The evaluation consisted of more than 90 design and production reviews for the ship’s computing environment, dual-band radar, external communications suite, ship control hardware and other key subsystems.

After the production readiness review was completed, the Zumwalt program entered a readiness review for the entire ship system, which is the final step before construction begins.

The Zumwalt is the United States’ next-generation naval destroyer, and it is designed to perform multiple missions.

Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems is the integrator for the ship’s electronic and combat systems under a contract awarded in 2005.