US President Donald Trump has confirmed plans for the US Navy to develop a new class of large surface combatant ships, intended to replace the previously proposed DDG(X) destroyers.
The announcement, made at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, revealed that these new 30,000t to 40,000t battleships are currently in the design phase.
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Construction of the first vessel, named USS Defiant, is scheduled for the early 2030s.
Trump said: “As commander in chief, it’s my great honour to announce that I have approved a plan for the Navy to begin the construction of two brand-new, very large — largest we’ve ever built — battleships.”
During the event, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Navy Secretary John Phelan joined Trump.
Trump stated that all ships will be built in the US by American workers.
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By GlobalDataAccording to Trump and senior Navy leaders, the service ultimately aims to create a fleet of 20 to 25 vessels under this new class.
Phelan referred to the forthcoming battleships as critical for modern maritime conflict and drew comparisons to the Iowa-class ships that served as a mainstay of naval operations throughout much of the previous century.
He explained that while original plans called for a new destroyer line, capabilities developed for DDG(X) will instead be incorporated into the new Trump-class design.
Phelan said: “The future Trump-class battleship, the USS Defiant, will be the largest, deadliest and most versatile and best-looking warship anywhere on the world’s oceans.
“The Iowa was designed to go on the attack with the biggest guns, and that’s exactly what will define the Trump-class battleships: offensive firepower from the biggest guns of our era.”
The newly proposed battleships will include advanced weaponry.
Planned systems feature hypersonic missiles, electronic rail guns and high-powered laser weapons.
The Navy will lead these efforts while collaborating with domestic defence industry partners.
