Trump-class battleship

Last updated

USS Defiant BBG-1 graphic 1.jpg
A graphic of the planned ship released by the U.S. Navy
Class overview
Name
  • Trump class
  • BBG(X) [1]
Builders Hanwha Philly Shipyard
OperatorsFlag of the United States.svg  United States Navy (projected)
Preceded by
Costestimated US$10 to 15 billion per ship (FY2025)
Built2030s (planned)
Planned10–25
General characteristics
Type Guided-missile battleship
Displacement>35,000 t (34,000 long tons; 39,000 short tons)
Length840–880 ft (260–270 m) [2]
Beam105–115 ft (32–35 m) [2]
Draft24–30 ft (7.3–9.1 m)
Speed>30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Crew>500 [3]
Sensors &
processing systems		 AN/SPY-6 air-search radar
Armament
Aircraft carriedCapable of fielding V-22 Ospreys and Future Vertical Lift helicopters
Aviation facilitiesFlight deck with two hangars
NotesData from the United States Naval Institute unless otherwise noted [4]

In a press conference in December 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a United States Navy guided-missile warship, to be called the Trump-class battleship. [5] [6] [7] [4] The class is also known as BBG(X) in some Navy documents, [1] and is intended to initially consist of the lead ship USS Defiant (BBG-1) and an as-yet unnamed other vessel. If and when commissioned, the class is envisioned as adding a nuclear-capable cruise missile option to the U.S. Navy surface fleet. [3]

Contents

History

Background

USS Missouri in 1991 after returning from the Gulf War. The Iowa-class ships were constructed during World War II and were the last ships operated by the U.S. Navy to be classified as battleships. An aerial starboard side view of the battleship USS MISSOURI (BB-63) underway for the Bremerton Navy Yard after returning from the Persian Gulf War. The MISSOURI will remain in serv - DPLA - f7d6121876d386732d88a9c9909b7051.jpeg
USS Missouri in 1991 after returning from the Gulf War. The Iowa-class ships were constructed during World War II and were the last ships operated by the U.S. Navy to be classified as battleships.
USS Zumwalt in 2016. The Zumwalt-class destroyer are the largest surface combatant ships currently operated by the U.S. Navy and were designed in part to replace gunfire support and other capabilities of the Iowa class. USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000).jpg
USS Zumwalt in 2016. The Zumwalt-class destroyer are the largest surface combatant ships currently operated by the U.S. Navy and were designed in part to replace gunfire support and other capabilities of the Iowa class.

The U.S. Navy has not had a battleship in commission since the retirement of the last Iowa-class battleship USS Missouri in 1992. [8] There have been no plans for new ones since the cancellation of the Montana class in 1943. [9]

The retirement of the Iowa class led to a battleship retirement debate on how the Navy should replace their capabilities. The Zumwalt-class destroyer was developed to replace their gunfire support function, but the class was cancelled after only three ships were constructed. [10] [11] The Zumwalt class is currently the largest surface combatant ship operated by the U.S. Navy, although aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships are larger. [4]

After cessation of Zumwalt procurement, the Navy announced a Large Surface Combatant initiative, which led to a design process for a DDG(X) or Next-Generation Guided-Missile Destroyer to replace each of these types.

Announcement

The announcement of the class comes amidst warnings by U.S. officials that Chinese shipbuilding has surpassed the United States in capacity and output, and is part of the Trump administration's goal to enlarge the U.S. Navy and revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding industry. [12] [13]

On 22 December 2025, Donald Trump announced that 2 ships would initially be constructed, with a total of 10 then planned, and eventual plans for "between 20 and 25" as part of a "Golden Fleet". [5] [12] The first ship is planned to be named USS Defiant (BBG-1). [14] U.S. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan stated that the ships are planned to carry conventional guns and nuclear-armed cruise missiles. [15] Trump stated that the ships are planned to be domestically built at the Hanwha Philly Shipyard, owned by South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group. [16]

The Department of Defense states that the BBG(X) program will replace the DDG(X) one, incorporating technology and capabilities from the latter into the former. [17] According to the navy, ships of the class are planned to include, as part of their primary battery, a Surface Launch Cruise Missile Nuclear (SLCM-N) system, a 12-cell Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic missile system, and a 128-cell Mark 41 vertical launching system (VLS). A secondary battery is planned to consist of a 32-megajoule railgun, two 5-inch/62-caliber (127 mm) guns, and a pair of either 300 or 600-kilowatt laser weapons. A defensive battery is planned with two RAM launchers, four Mark 38 30 mm machine gun system, four ODIN lasers, and two anti-drone systems. The ships are also planned to have an enclosed hangar for VTOL aircraft such as helicopters, the V-22 Osprey and other, future vertical-lift manned and unmanned aircraft. [2] However, the United States Naval institute say that the lasers, nuclear cruise missiles and the railgun are potential additions to the base design, which they stated as including the same number of VLS and CPS missile cells and "five-inch guns". [4]

Reactions

Graphic representation of the weaponry that a Trump-class ship would carry USS Defiant BBG-1 graphic 2.jpg
Graphic representation of the weaponry that a Trump-class ship would carry

Design

Experts[ who? ] say that large surface combatants such as the Trump-class are obsolete, as the line of battle is an outdated concept, and an increasing emphasis on combat aircraft, missiles, and drone warfare from World War II onward has made large ships more vulnerable and less flexible than a larger, dispersed fleet of smaller ships. Analysts commenting on the preliminary Trump-class design expressed doubts that the ships will enter service because they have not been funded and their unique and unprecedented design will make development costly and slow. [18] [19] [20] [21]

The classification of the Trump-class ship as a battleship has been questioned. Mark Cancian with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) wrote that the term has historically been used for warships with large guns, such as 16-inch guns, and heavy armor, which Trump class would lack, and that the ship's profile is more typical of a guided-missile "battlecruiser" like Russia's Kirov class. [22] However, according to the U.S. Naval Institute, the definition of the term "battleship" has evolved over the ages, from wooden ships with many guns (ship of the line [of battle]), through to the 20th-century usage of high-caliber gunned ships with heavy armor. The ship is meant to survive in a fleet battle, and thus armor is not definitional to the core of the battleship. The importance of the large gun debate depends upon whether the gun is the most important component of the ship's firepower. [23] [ better source needed ]

CNN analyst Stephen Collinson states that the procurement of the Trump class would likely revive the battleship retirement debate. [24] Cancian writes that the ship "will never sail" as its high cost will prompt "A future administration [to] cancel the program before the first ship hits the water". [22]

U.S. labor force

Some[ who? ] have questioned whether the United States has an adequate labor force to build the ships in American shipyards. This argument notes that during World War II, tens of thousands of men and women worked in shifts around the clock at each of the U.S. naval yards that produced the Iowa-class. More than 71,000 people were employed at the Brooklyn Navy Yard alone. [18] Cancian notes that U.S. shipbuilders were so short of skilled labor in 2025 that they have been bidding up wages to lure workers from competing yards. [22]

Name

The Trump class name would challenge typical United States ship naming conventions. All battleships operated by the United States have been named after U.S. states, with the sole exception being USS Kearsarge, a pre-dreadnought battleship; [25] [26] while names of presidents have recently been used for aircraft carriers. [21] [27] Naming a warship after a living person is not unusual in the United States, [27] though it is atypical for presidents to name things after themselves. The naming came in the context of the recent addition of Trump's name to the Kennedy Center and the U.S. Institute of Peace, as well as the new Trump account and Trump Gold Card. [28]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Nick Wilson; Abby Shepherd (23 December 2025). "GD, HII to work BBG(X) battleship design over six-year period". Inside Defense.(subscription required)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Golden Fleet". www.goldenfleet.navy.mil/. United States Navy . Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  3. 1 2 McLeary, Paul (22 December 2025). "Trump's new 'Trump-Class' battleship will carry nuclear weapons". Politico.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Mallory Shelbourne; Sam LaGrone (22 December 2025), "Trump Unveils New Battleship Class; Proposed USS Defiant Will Be Largest U.S. Surface Combatant Since WWII", USNI News, United States Naval Institute
  5. 1 2 Liptak, Kevin (22 December 2025). "President unveils new 'Trump class' fleet of battleships". CNN. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  6. ↑ Konstantin Toropin; Aamer Madhani (22 December 2025). "Trump announces plans for new Navy 'battleship' as part of a 'Golden Fleet'". Associated Press.
  7. ↑ Lara Seligman; Marcus Weisgerber (22 December 2025). "New Class of Warship to Be Named After Trump". Wall Street Journal.
  8. ↑ Kyle Mizokami (17 August 2024). "Repeat After Me! Navy Iowa-Class Battleships Will Never Sail Again". National Interest blog. The National Interest.
  9. ↑ Friedman, Norman (1980). "United States of America". In Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp. 86–166. ISBN   978-0-87021-913-9.
  10. ↑ Farley, Robert (3 April 2021). "It's No Iowa, But Navy 'Battleships' Live On Today". The National Interest. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  11. ↑ Seitz, Isaac (3 September 2025). "The U.S. Navy's Zumwalt-Class Destroyers Have a 'Battleship' Problem". National Security Journal. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  12. 1 2 Debusmann Jr, Bernd (23 December 2025). "Trump unveils plans for 'Golden Fleet' battleships named after himself". BBC.
  13. ↑ Judson, Jen. "U.S. unveils plans for new ship under Trump's 'Golden Fleet' bid". Fortune. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  14. ↑ "President Trump Announces New Battleship". U.S. Navy. 22 December 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  15. ↑ Holland, Steve (23 December 2025). "Trump unveils 'Trump-class' battleships, pressures defense contractors on overruns" . Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  16. ↑ Jie, Lim Hui (23 December 2025). "Hanwha Ocean shares jump 10% after Trump says South Korean firm to build warships for U.S. Navy". CNBC.
  17. ↑ Olay, Matthew (22 December 2025). "Trump Announces New Class of Battleship". Pentagon News. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
  18. 1 2 Suciu, Peter. "Trump-Class Battleships Shouldn't Be Compared To World War II Warships". Forbes. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
  19. ↑ Stoddart, Michelle; Ibssa, Lalee (23 December 2025). "Trump announces 'Trump Class' of new Navy battleships". ABC News. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  20. ↑ Alberto Rojas (23 December 2025). "El acorazado de Donald Trump, un plan que nace obsoleto" [Donald Trump's battleship, a plan that is obsolete from the outset]. El Mundo (in Spanish).
  21. 1 2 Dan Lamothe; Tara Copp (23 December 2025). "Trump unveils a new class of Navy battleship named after himself". Washington Post– via MSN.
  22. 1 2 3 Cancian, Mark F. (23 December 2025). "The Golden Fleet's Battleship Will Never Sail". Center for Strategic and International Studies .
  23. ↑ Lieutenant Commander Melvin F. Talbot (S.C.), U. S. Navy (May 1938). "The Battleship: Her Evolution and Her Present Place in the Scheme of Naval War". United States Naval Institute Proceedings. 64 (423). U.S. Naval Institute. 64/5/423.
  24. ↑ Collinson, Stephen (23 December 2025). "Analysis: He names these ships — the Trump class". CNN. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
  25. ↑ "US battleship names and numerical designations" (PDF). The Elks Magazine. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  26. ↑ Friedman, Norman (1985). "Beginnings: The Pre-dreadnoughts". U.S. battleships: an illustrated design history. Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute Press. p. 30. ISBN   0870217151. The Kearsage [ sic ] was unique among American battleships in not being named after a state.
  27. 1 2 Suciu, Peter (28 November 2025). "How Does the US Navy Name Its Aircraft Carriers?". The National Interest. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  28. ↑ Collinson, Stephen (23 December 2025). "Analysis: He names these ships — the Trump class | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 24 December 2025.

Further reading

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