According to an analysis by the American think tank CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies), the first ship of the new “Trump” class battleships (“The Golden Fleet’s Battleship Will Never Sail“), recently announced by the American President for the US Navy, is expected to cost as much as a new “Ford” class aircraft carrier, that is, about $ 13 billion. The analysis also recalls that the “Arleigh Burke” class destroyers, the latest and most advanced Flight III version, have a displacement of 9,000 tons and cost $ 2.8 billion each. The analysis, signed by Mark Cancian, a retired colonel of the US Marines, concludes/predicts that due to cost and other technical obstacles, the “Trump” class battleships will not be built in the end.
The new ships were announced by Trump himself on December 22. As announced, the ships will have a large displacement, between 30,000 and 40,000 tons, and will be the largest warships built by the US Navy in the last 80 years, with the exception of aircraft carriers. As an example, the analysis cites the “Zumwalt” class destroyer program, which has a displacement of 15,000 tons and only three were built in 11 years, from 2005 when the program began, to 2016 when the first ship entered service. The “Trump” class battleships will have at least double the displacement, and will also be more complex (perhaps nuclear-powered, with laser weapons, etc.). According to current planning, the first ship (BBG-1, USS “Defiant”) should enter service around 2035.
