Donald Trump unveils “Trump‑class” battleships, a missile‑centric addition to the US Navy’s “Golden Fleet” that promises unprecedented firepower and a new paradigm for surface combat. Announced at Mar‑a‑Lago on 22 December 2025, the first hull – USS Defiant (BBG‑1) – will displace over 35 kilotonnes, stretch 840‑880 ft and carry a crew of 650‑850. Its armament centres on hypersonic cruise missiles, nuclear‑armed sea‑launched cruise missiles, a 120 mm electromagnetic railgun and 10‑100 kW directed‑energy lasers, all managed by an AI‑driven combat system. The Navy plans two initial vessels with a total programme of 10‑25 hulls.

The Trump‑class ships are markedly smaller than the Gerald R. Ford‑class aircraft carriers that have defined US naval power since the first commission in July 2017. A Ford carrier displaces roughly 100 kt – three times the Trump‑class – and measures 1 106 ft in length, compared with the battleship’s 840‑880 ft. Crew size diverges even more dramatically: about 5 000 personnel on a carrier versus under 1 000 on the new battleship. Yet the Trump‑class is larger than any current surface combatant, eclipsing the 9 kt displacement of an Arleigh Burke‑class destroyer.

Technologically, the two programmes pursue different trajectories. The Ford class advances air‑power projection, featuring the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), Advanced Arresting Gear and a dual‑band radar suite, all supported by a 350 MW integrated power system designed for future directed‑energy weapons. By contrast, the Trump‑class is a “guided‑missile battleship” that replaces the historic 16‑inch gun battery with a suite of next‑generation strike weapons. Its power generation, while not disclosed in exact megawatts, is implied to exceed 200 MW to drive railguns and lasers. The emphasis on AI‑driven combat management and network‑centric sensor fusion signals a shift toward autonomous decision‑making at sea, a capability less pronounced on the carrier platform.

Strategic analysts view the Trump‑class as a potential leader of surface‑action groups or an independent strike platform capable of delivering rapid, long‑range firepower without the logistical footprint of a carrier strike group. Navy Secretary John Phelan described the USS Defiant as “the largest, deadliest and most versatile warship anywhere on the world’s oceans,” while former President Trump claimed the vessels would be “100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built.” The reduced crew complement and heavy internal armour suggest a design prioritising survivability and efficiency over the massive personnel requirements of carrier operations.

In essence, the Trump‑class introduces a new surface‑combatant paradigm: a smaller hull packed with high‑energy weapons and AI‑enabled systems, contrasting with the Ford class’s continuation of carrier‑centric, air‑dominance doctrine. Whether the Navy can integrate these untested technologies into a coherent operational concept remains to be seen, but the announcement marks a bold, if controversial, re‑imagining of maritime power projection for the United States.

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