The United States Navy has outlined plans for a new class of large surface combatants described as guided-missile battleships, a designation not used by the US since the retirement of the Iowa class.
The ships form part of the U.S. Navy’s wider Golden Fleet initiative, intended to expand fleet size, rebuild maritime industrial capacity and field heavier, more survivable surface combatants.
Size, propulsion and layout
The Trump class is projected to displace more than 35,000 tonnes, placing it well above current US destroyers and cruisers and closer in scale to Cold War capital ships. Length is expected to fall between 840 and 880 feet, with a beam of up to 115 feet and a draft of roughly 24 to 30 feet. Propulsion is shown as a combined gas turbine and diesel arrangement, delivering speeds in excess of 30 knots.
The design includes a flight deck and enclosed hangar sized to operate V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and future vertical-lift platforms. This would give the ship long-range logistics, personnel transfer and command support capabilities not normally associated with surface combatants of this type.
Sensors, command role and electronic warfare
At the centre of the design is the SPY-6 AMDR radar, depicted with four fixed faces to provide continuous wide-area air and missile surveillance. This is paired with SEWIP Block III electronic warfare systems, also shown with four-face coverage, indicating an emphasis on detection, jamming and electronic attack.
The battleship is intended to operate as a command platform when required. The design explicitly shows space for an embarked commander with a full C4I suite, reinforcing Navy statements that the ship could lead a Surface Action Group, operate independently or integrate into a Carrier Strike Group.
Counter-unmanned capabilities are also prominent, with two Counter-UxS systems shown. This reflects recent operational experience where drones and unmanned surface vessels have become persistent threats to major warships.
Weapons and strike capability
The Trump class is designed around a heavy offensive weapons fit. The diagram shows 12 Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missile launchers, supported by vertical launch missile cells. While the labelled graphic indicates 28 Mk 41 VLS cells in one section of the ship, programme documentation suggests a much larger total missile capacity across the full hull.
In addition to hypersonic weapons, the class is expected to carry the SLCM-N nuclear-armed cruise missile, restoring a surface-based nuclear strike role that the US Navy has not fielded for decades.
Naval gunfire plays a significant role. The forward section mounts a 32-megajoule electromagnetic railgun designed to fire hypervelocity projectiles, backed by two 5-inch Mk 45 guns for surface engagement and air defence.
Defensive systems are a defining element of the design. The diagram shows two 300-kilowatt laser weapons, with programme material indicating the potential to scale these to 600-kilowatt class systems. These directed-energy weapons are intended to counter drones, missiles and small surface threats while reducing dependence on interceptor missiles.
Close-in defence is provided by Mk 38 30 mm guns positioned forward and aft, along with Rolling Airframe Missile launchers and optical systems such as ODIN. Together, these create a layered defensive envelope designed to withstand saturation attacks.
How many will be built?
Current planning indicates between 10 and 25 ships, although only an initial pair has been formally approved. The final number will depend on cost, shipyard capacity and sustained political support.
What remains uncertain is how quickly the Trump class can move from concept imagery to operational service, and how it will fit alongside aircraft carriers, submarines and next-generation destroyers within a constrained naval budget. What is clear is that the US Navy is signalling a renewed emphasis on large, heavily armed surface combatants intended to survive and fight in high-intensity conflict.
I did not know it would have rail guns too, this is like BAE and Lockheed Martin’s wildest fantasy about all the dirty things they can do with US tax payers money 😀
I’m not sure ifanyone has told the Orange one but ship classes are named after the first ship in the class so even if this thing gets built one day it will be the defiant class.
On a side note Defiant is a great name for a battle cruiser (which this is as it has no armour)
Shades of the Yamato and Bismarck.
You mean it’s going to be a overrated and overhyped waste of money?
Is this the navy’s idea or Trump’s?
I will put money on it is Trumps and the baby is only going along to placate him. They know he will be out of office long before the design is finished.
Further I thought the US had abandoned Rail Gun development or are they hoping the Japanese will sell them theirs. Perhaps in exchange for nuclear propulsion tech and although they could develop it on their own it will be faster to get help from uk or us. Although given the staunch “ No American “ rule for Tempest they may prefer to play with the UK
. . . also Prince of Wales and Repulse.
The KGV-class battleships were excellent for their time.
Repulse wasn’t, but then it was a relatively ancient WW1-era battlecruiser.
Also, these ships were built with the rest of the Royal Navy in mind.
Bismarck and Yamato stand out as the largest battleships of their time (and “ever”), and were built specifically to the strategic paradigm of being more powerful per-unit compared to their projected opponents, with the expectation of being outnumbered.
Only one will be half built, no operating rail gun and 50Kw lasers if any. The US Navy will prevaricate until Trump leaves.
And the cost will be?? The US Navy has serious manning issues just like most other Navy’s. These fantasy ships will require a lot of manning. Another Trump day dream to distract from the mess he is causing in the states.
The USN could move much more towards lean manning if they wanted to. So far they have lacked the inclination, despite the recruitment challenges.
Painted White and given the name “Dumbo” ?
Most expencsve White Elephant ever. 🙄🐘🐘🐘
Won’t be built, will likely bankrupt the shipyard. Like everything else he touches.
The US shut down their railgun program years ago, are they starting it back up or knicking Japan’s technology?
Since Japan’s system works while their’s didn’t, I suspect the latter.
It was started up again.
That was announced a while back.
Full steam ahead, damn the haters!
Won’t it be brilliant, that just two of these monstrosities exists in the world? Never again will people be able to complain that we need bigger and heavily armoured ships, because there will be the perfect example of why it is a bad idea.
Besides, it’s really cool and now China is going to build 40 of something equivalent.
Are you not entertained?
A little more seriously, this is DDG(X), increased in size with a sprinkling of Zumwalt new tech (some of which is approaching usability), mixed in with a bit of arsenal ship. Kirov class redux.
The limiting factors will be the ability to successfully design and build it on time and cost. Or at all.
BTW, well done UK with two types of new frigate now floating, that actually have missile silos.
The great irony is that for all the procrastination UK ship design and building is now in a rather better place than USN.
Putting aside the T45 propulsion issues
– AAW – T45 – tick
– carrier – QEC – tick
– ASW – T26 – almost tick
– GP – T31 – maybe tick soon
All we need is really the GP element to allow a level of ASW capability and to up the numbers.. the most important thing is the UK now has the industrial capacity it needs.. the only real tick is security of orders, which is quite frankly the easier bit.
Just churn out T31 variants at one a year and a T26/T83 at one every two years and you have an RN at the right size ( 30 frigates and destroyers).. the problem with the US is they are utterly incapable of building to even keep up present fleet numbers.. let alone keep up with an enemy that has a shipbuilding industry hundreds of times larger than it.
HMS massive AKA Trump class is clearly a bizarre fantasy of flailing around..
Trumps small dick syndrome strikes again.
I would venture to suggest that most commentators here are part of a broad based church that is populated by people of fairly similar minds. So some of what Trump does and says makes sense and sits OK with my slightly right of centre politics BUT, the man is a dangerous loose canon whose mind and opinions sway wildly from topic to topic and side to side! His love of the evil Putin, threats to Denmark and Canada, illogical upending of the world economic order, dangerous isolationism, blatant self aggrandizement and clumsy attacks on Democracy and the rule of Law make him the worst ever US President and the biggest danger to civilisation as we know it. USS Trump-heaven help us
ps did I leave anything out?
Trump loves coal so much I’m quite surprised that it’s not a proper battleship with coal powered boilers like the good old days, and five inches ……
Maybe the USN realises that hypersonics and BM are potential carrier killers and they are going to have to get close in with those large silos to put enough on target to sink the Chinese carriers.
That render hasn’t come just as a result of a Trump whim, and it’s hardly a Boris T32 frigate made on the hoof.
If Burke plus designs or future replacement are going to cost multi billions of $ per ship, then the ship may as well be huge. Ballistic missiles silos are going to Dwarf strike length MK41 and that means big hulls.
Maybe we could dust off the Invincible hull drawings…
Why would you want the Invincible hull form for a battleship?
It is optimised so deck conditions are right for Harrier in a wide range of sea states.
I always wondered about the smaller British carrier hulls! They seem so ‘chubby’ but I figured it was either to withstand torpedo hits, or to provide a stable bow area so they don’t pitch too much for aircraft on takeoff.
Currently making up a hull of Hermes, from plans in CAD, it’s quite an unusual shape with much volume forward and a bluff bow shape.
I was thinking the same thing. Aircraft carriers out, large missile ships in.