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The first Trump-class battleship is projected to cost more than $17 billion, while the total cost of three vessels is expected to exceed $43 billion, Axios reported Wednesday.
The battleship program was introduced in December as part of the U.S. administration’s Golden Fleet plan.
John Phelan, who served as U.S. Navy secretary until last week, described the projected cost as an “early, initial estimate.”
“We'll see where we really settle down, as we get through that and start to rationalize some of the costs,” Phelan told reporters on the sidelines of the Sea-Air-Space conference in Maryland.
The report said the U.S. already faces challenges in constructing and sustaining its existing fleet.
It cited the USS Boise as one example. The vessel was ultimately scrapped after remaining docked for roughly a decade.
Phelan said officials were examining ways to reduce pressure on the industrial base.
“We are looking at a couple of different ways to relieve some of the pressure that might be put on the industrial base,” he said. “I think we have to still define that a little bit more.”
The U.S. Navy has not yet decided whether the Trump-class battleship will be nuclear-powered, according to the report.
Early specifications indicate a heavily armed platform equipped with laser turrets and a railgun.
The vessel is also expected to have a capacity for both hypersonic and nuclear weapons, with a crew of at least 650 sailors.
Construction of the first Trump-class battleship is expected to begin in 2028.
The program remains in the early planning stage, with cost estimates and design details still subject to further review.
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