The planned fleet of 15 Donald Trump class battleships will cost about 275 billion dollars, according to a report released Wednesday by the United States Congressional Budget Office. If confirmed, the nuclear-powered vessels would rank among the most expensive warships ever built.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the first nuclear-powered battleship will cost 23.4 billion dollars. Each of the remaining 14 ships is expected to average about 18 billion dollars. By comparison, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford, the largest in the world, cost 13.3 billion dollars in 2008, which equals over 20 billion dollars in 2026 when adjusted for inflation.
The Republican announced his plan in December for the new class of warships named after him. The step is highly unusual, as the United States Navy typically reserves the honor of naming ships for presidents who have left office.
Weaponry and Fleet Capabilities
The Congressional Budget Office noted that the ships will theoretically carry advanced weaponry. This includes anti-aircraft missiles, surface-to-surface missiles, hypersonic missiles, nuclear-armed cruise missiles, lasers, and electromagnetic cannons. The warships will be much larger than current US Navy destroyers and cruisers, though their displacement will remain below the Iowa-class battleships retired in the 1990s.
In Washington, several figures have raised concerns about falling behind Beijing as China rapidly modernizes its navy, excluding its air force. A report delivered to Congress last year highlighted worries among US military officials and observers over the speed of Chinese shipbuilding.
