The U.S. Navy News website recently revealed that the U.S. Pacific Fleet is stationed - Pearl Harbor is undergoing a large-scale upgrade and modernization reform, preparing for the U.S. Navy's new generation destroyer and attack nuclear submarines equipped with hypersonic weapons.
According to engineering documents released by the Navy's Naval System Command (NAVSEA), the Pearl Harbor base's M1, M2, B24 and B26 terminals will undergo large-scale modernized reconstruction operations; the U.S. military also launched power supply lines and related equipment installation operations in May to allow the mobility of general support equipment to be deployed; subsequently, a surrounding warehouse will be built for storage of related parts, equipment and materials to accommodate and maintain the upcoming "Jumvalter" class destroyer and "Virginia" class attack nuclear submarines.
According to reports, the "zumwalt" class destroyer has a displacement of up to 14,000 tons, adopts a stealth design, and is equipped with advanced anti-aircraft missiles. The three "Zumwalt" class destroyers currently in service are undergoing or will soon undergo comprehensive renovation, including removing the main gun at the bow position and installing 12 vertically launched "Conventional Rapid Strike" (CPS) hypersonic missiles. The missile was jointly developed by the U.S. Navy and Army. It is a boost-glide hypersonic missile with a maximum range of more than 2,700 kilometers. According to the report, CPS will enable the U.S. Navy fleet to have offshore ground attack capabilities against time-sensitive targets, "which cannot be provided by any other weapon system currently deployed by the U.S. Navy." In the future, the missile will also have anti-ship capabilities, and the development of related terminal seekers is underway.
In addition, the destroyers will be equipped with new signal intelligence kits, naval data chain platforms and “Standard-6” air defense missiles with regional air defense capabilities.The U.S. Navy sees these destroyers as “independent front-end deployment strike platforms with longer range and better defensive survival capabilities in the future.”
As planned, three JUMWALTER class destroyers will be completed in 2028 and deployed to Pearl Harbor, so the U.S. Navy must upgrade its existing offshore power supply to provide it with sufficient and reliable power to maintain the fleet’s combat readiness.
At the same time, the U.S. Navy also plans to deploy more "Virginia" class nuclear attack submarines in Pearl Harbor, which will be deployed before 2030. According to the report, the "Virginia" class nuclear submarine is a substitute for the "Los Angeles" class nuclear attack submarines built during the Cold War, its operational scope is wider, including anti-submarine warfare, surface ship warfare, ground attack, surveillance and reconnaissance, such as the "Virginia" class is especially good at fighting in environmentally complex coastal areas, its mining room has been improved and can also accommodate a large number of special operational forces and equipment, carrying out operations from land to infiltration. The "Virginia" class of attack nuclear submarines deployed in Pearl Harbor
In order to meet the demand for repairs of these specialized models of Virginia class nuclear submarines and the next-generation attack nuclear submarine SSN (X), the U.S. Navy is modernizing the aging Pearl Harbor 3 dry dock and building a new 5 dry dock. The U.S. Navy stressed in a press release that dry dock 5 is about 200 meters long, enough to park the U.S. Navy's latest attack nuclear submarine, designed for a life of up to 150 years.
In July this year, the U.S. Navy just shifted the second "Tax" missile-launchable "Virginia" class nuclear submarine from the East Coast of the United States to Pearl Harbor, so that the current number of U.S. Navy's 7th submarine squadron to attack nuclear submarines increased to seven, including three "Virginia" class and four "Los Angeles" class Navy news site said that with the successive withdrawal of "Los Angeles" class nuclear submarines, "by 2030, the vast majority of attack nuclear submarines deployed in Pearl Harbor will be the new "Virginia" class".
Some analysts believe that the related actions of the US military to strengthen its Hawaii base and the potential risks it may cause deserve great attention. (Global Times special correspondent Chen Yang)