Trump Class Battleships: What the new “100 times more powerful” warships that the United States plans to build will be like

Trump announced on Monday the construction of the new battleships as part of his plan to strengthen the country’s naval power and relaunch the American military industry. The project, presented within the initiative known as Golden Fleet aims to provide the Navy with large surface ships, high firepower and cutting-edge technologies.

“They will be the fastest, the largest and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built,” Trump said in the presentation.

“They will help maintain US military supremacy.”to revive the national shipbuilding industry and strike fear into our country’s enemies around the world”, he continued.

“The United States Navy will lead the design of these ships together with me because I am a very aesthetic person”Trump added.

Although the term “battleship” refers to the large ships of the 20th century, the White House has indicated that the new class will not be a replica of the historical ones Iowabut a modern platformdesigned to operate in high-intensity conflicts and compete with the naval capabilities of China and Russia.

According to the information released so far, the battleships of the Trump class They would have an estimated displacement of between 30,000 and 40,000 tons, making them some of the largest surface combatants in the US fleet, second only to aircraft carriers. The crew would be made up of between 650 and 850 sailorswith a high degree of automation and systems assisted by artificial intelligence.

In terms of weapons, the project contemplates the integration of hypersonic missiles, long range cruise missiles —including the option of nuclear capability—, as well as directed energy weaponssuch as defensive lasers, and electromagnetic cannonstechnologies that are still in the experimental phase within the Navy.

From the presidential environment it has been stated to the United States press that These ships will be “far superior” to any other current warship.

The program is located in preliminary design phase and still must go through the congressional budget approval process.

According to CBS News, Trump stated that The construction of the first ships should take approximately “two and a half years” each, an unusually short figure for warship projects of this scale. Furthermore, he pointed out that Trump said construction would begin “immediately”. The first battleship will be called USS Defiant.

Other official estimates cited by the American press indicate that construction of the first ship would begin during the early years of the 2030sand its entry into service could take several more years.

At the moment, there is no detailed delivery schedule or definitive number of units, although Trump has mentioned the possibility of building between 20 and 25 ships in the long term.

Although the Department of Defense has not released official figures, defense experts and specialized media estimate that each Trump Class battleship could cost between $10 billion and $12 billiondue to its size and the integration of advanced systems. Some projections indicate that the initial cost of the program could exceed 25 billion dollarsonly for the first units.

These figures place the project among the most expensive in American naval history.

Media impact and cult of personality

For the international analyst Francisco Belaunde Matossianthe advertisements of Trump on new weapons of the latest generation have a strong component of political narrative, search for media impact and cult of personalityabove a real capacity for execution in the short term.

Belaunde recalled that, from the beginning of his second government, Trump has presented a series of projects that he himself has described as “unprecedented”, including a global missile shielddefense initiatives from space and now the construction of large warships named after him.

“These types of projects always take years. “They are not built immediately, as if they were a car,” the analyst noted, underlining the distance between the presidential speech and the real deadlines of the military industry. As an example, he cited the case of Francewhich has just announced a new aircraft carrier whose entry into service is only scheduled for 2038.

In his opinion, the announcement of the battleships It is part of a markedly media logic. “There is a lot of symbolic launchof showing power, rather than realistic planning in technical and temporal terms”he explained.

Belaunde placed special emphasis on the fact that the new ships will bear the name of the president himself, something he considers unprecedented in American tradition. “I do not remember any president of the United States who, during his own term, has put his name to monumental works or strategic systems. “This clearly responds to a personality cult logic,” he stated.

According to the analyst, this practice is not isolated, but part of a pattern. He mentioned, among other examples, the name change of emblematic institutions and centers, as well as other projects and symbols that now incorporate the surname Trump. “There is a coherence: everything falls into the same logic of power customization”, he pointed out.

On the military level, Belaunde warned that initiatives such as the global anti-missile shield—even with components from space—are projects of enormous complexitywhich have never been fully developed and would require decades of investment and testing. “These are great ideas, but they would take a long time to come to fruition, if they ever do so,” held.

Asked about the reaction of other powers, the analyst stated that Trump’s announcements occur in a context in which the arms race is already underway. He remembered that China is in an accelerated phase of expansion of its military power and that, in terms of number of ships, it could even have already surpassed the United States, although not necessarily in technological capacity and power.

Russiahe added, also continues to develop advanced weaponrypartly in response to its confrontation with the West in the wake of the war in Ukraine. “There are factors that come together: the rise of China as an emerging power, Russia’s confrontation with the West and now the personality of Trump”he explained.

Belaunde maintained that the American president’s own style fuels this dynamic. He recalled episodes from his first term, such as the statements about the “nuclear button” against North Korea, and noted that Trump shows a megalomaniacal and narcissistic tendency which is also reflected in its defense policy.

“Beyond the strategic calculation, Trump wants to show power, leave a personal mark and build symbols”concluded the analyst, pointing out that even the golden aesthetic with which the new fleet is presented is part of that same story.

A global-scale anti-missile shield

The most ambitious project of Trump is the so-called “Golden Dome”a system of missile defense designed to protect the United States against ballistic, cruise and missile missiles. hypersonic weapons. The initiative envisions a multi-layer architecture, with sensors and interception platforms deployed on land, sea and space.

According to the White House, The system will combine advanced radars, early detection satellites and new generation interceptors, with the possibility of incorporating space capabilities. The estimated cost of the program is around astronomical 175 billion dollars.

Trump He has indicated that he hopes to have operational capabilities before the end of his term, although analysts warn that full deployment would require many more years and sustained long-term investment.

Bet on the dominance of space

Another central axis of the strategy announced by Trump is the strengthening military capabilities in space. The president signed an executive order aimed at guaranteeing the “space superiority” of the United States, a policy that combines civilian objectives with a strong strategic emphasis.

Although specific weapons were not detailed, the directive prioritizes the development of space systems linked to anti-missile defense, early detection and protection of orbital assets.