Stealth Fleet: Why the Navy Wants More Stealthy Warships Can a massive surface destroyer, armed with Tomahawk missiles, deck-mounted guns, sensors, antennas and heat-generating onboard electrical power, truly be considered stealthy? Here's What You Need to Remember: So, while on the surface, the notion of a stealthy destroyer might seem to be a contradiction in terms, Zumwalt engineers appear to have been using numerous stealth techniques, which, while not intended to make the ship invisible, are designed to confuse enemy sensors and wage war while much less detectable to the enemy. Eluding radar, quietly sailing into enemy territory and launching long-range precision attacks from less-detectable positions all begin to paint the picture of how a “stealthy” offensive surface destroyers could transform modern maritime warfare.