 A graphic of the planned ship released by the U.S. Navy | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Builders | Hanwha Philly Shipyard |
| Operators |  United States Navy (projected) |
| Preceded by |
|
| Cost | estimated US$10 to 15 billion per ship (FY2025) |
| Built | 2030s (planned) |
| Planned | 2; 10; 20–25 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Guided-missile battleship |
| Displacement | >35,000 t (34,000 long tons; 39,000 short tons) |
| Length | 840–880 ft (260–270 m)[2] |
| Beam | 105–115 ft (32–35 m)[2] |
| Draft | 24–30 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 carried | Capable of fieldingV-22 Ospreys andFuture Vertical Lift helicopters |
| Aviation facilities | Flight deck with two hangars |
| Notes | Data from theUnited States Naval Institute unless otherwise noted[4] |
In a press conference in December 2025, U.S. PresidentDonald Trump announced a United States Navy guided-missile warship, to be called theTrump-class battleship.[5][6][7][4] The class is also known asBBG(X) in some Navy documents,[1] and is intended to initially consist of thelead shipUSS Defiant (BBG-1) and an as-yet unnamed other vessel. If and when commissioned, the class is envisioned as adding anuclear-capable cruise missile option to the U.S. Navy surface fleet.[3]
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The U.S. Navy has not had abattleship in commission since the retirement of the lastIowa-class battleshipUSS Missouri in 1992.[8] There have been no plans for new ones since the cancellation of theMontana class in 1943.[9]
The retirement of theIowa class led to abattleship retirement debate on how the Navy should replace their capabilities. TheZumwalt-class destroyer was developed to replace theirgunfire support function, but the class was cancelled after only three ships were constructed.[10][11] TheZumwalt class is currently the largestsurface combatant ship operated by the U.S. Navy, althoughaircraft carriers andamphibious assault ships are larger.[4]
After cessation ofZumwalt procurement, the Navy announced a Large Surface Combatant initiative, which led to a design process for aDDG(X) or Next-Generation Guided-Missile Destroyer to replace each of these types.
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 USSDefiant (BBG-1).[14] U.S. Secretary of the NavyJohn Phelan stated that the ships are planned to carry conventional guns andnuclear-armed cruise missiles.[15] Trump stated that the ships are planned to be domestically built at theHanwha Philly Shipyard, owned by South Korean conglomerateHanwha 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 theirprimary battery, aSurface Launch Cruise Missile Nuclear (SLCM-N) system, a 12-cellConventional Prompt Strike (CPS)hypersonic missile system, and a 128-cellMark 41 vertical launching system (VLS). Asecondary battery is planned to consist of a 32-megajoulerailgun, two5-inch/62-caliber (127 mm) guns, and a pair of either 300 or 600-kilowattlaser weapons. Adefensive battery is planned with twoRAM launchers, fourMark 38 30 mm machine gun system, fourODIN lasers, and twoanti-drone systems. The ships are also planned to have an enclosed hangar forVTOL aircraft such ashelicopters, theV-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]
Megawatt-class lasers are a possible upgrade.[18]
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.[19][20][21][22]
The classification of the Trump-class ship as a battleship has been questioned. Mark Cancian with theCenter for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) wrote that the term has historically been used for warships with large guns, such as 16-inch guns, andheavy armor, which Trump-class would lack, and that the ship's profile is more typical of a guided-missile "battlecruiser" like Russia'sKirov class.[23] 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.[24][better source needed]
CNN analyst Stephen Collinson states that the procurement of the Trump class would likely revive thebattleship retirement debate.[25] 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".[23]
Some have questioned whether the United States has an adequate labor force to build the ships in American shipyards.[26][27] 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 theBrooklyn Navy Yard alone.[19] Cancian notes that U.S. shipbuilders were soshort of skilled labor in 2025 that they have been increasing wages to attract workers from competing yards.[23]
The Trump-class name would not followUnited States ship naming conventions. Battleships operated by the United States have been named after U.S. states, with the exception ofUSS Kearsarge, apre-dreadnought battleship;[28][29] while names of presidents have recently been used for aircraft carriers.[22][30]Naming a warship after a living person, once rare, is no longer unusual in the United States,[30] though it is atypical for presidents to name things after themselves. The naming came in the context of the recent addition ofTrump's name to theKennedy Center and theU.S. Institute of Peace, as well as the newTrump account andTrump Gold Card.[31]
TheKearsage [sic] was unique among American battleships in not being named after a state.
