I am amazed at the cost of technology and the purchasing practices of the US DOD....particularly the US Navy.
The new Zumwalt Class has a gun that can fire a directed Round to a range of Seventy-Three Miles but at a cost of 800,000 US Dollar per Round. I suspect there shall not be much practice firing at that rate.
Should the Navy looked for a cheaper alternative than what they did with the Zumwalt....say more conventional ships that cost far less than the Three Billion US Dollars as do the Zumwalts, but equipped with Rockets and Missles rather than the sophisticated gun system?
Some extra VTOL Aircraft or even Missile carrying Helicopters would seem one of the Alternatives.
Navy reportedly balks at $800k projectiles for new warship | Fox News