The US Navy announced the estimated price on 22/4, during the release of its draft budget for fiscal year 2027.

Military news outlet War Zone reported the same day that senior US Navy officials are focusing on finalizing the design before constructing the first Trump-class warship. They are also working to avoid serious issues that have plagued past projects.

Incomplete designs and constant changes during development led to the failure and cancellation of the Constellation-class frigate project last year.

An artist's rendering of the USS Defiant, a Trump-class warship. Graphic: US Navy

During the budget proposal announcement, US Navy officials outlined plans to order three Trump-class ships, currently designated BBG(X), in fiscal year 2028. They intend to allocate approximately 43.5 billion USD to this program next year.

US Navy Commander Daryl Caudle and John Phelan, who recently stepped down as US Secretary of the Navy, commented this week that the BBG(X) project is "essential and provides real flexibility" for the service.

Phelan stated that the 17 billion USD figure is an initial estimate. The US Navy will review it more closely as the program progresses and will rationalize some costs. The US Navy has begun discussions with two different shipbuilding companies to evaluate each firm's design process and manufacturing capabilities.

Each Trump-class warship is expected to have a displacement of about 35,000 tons, three times that of the latest Flight III variant of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. It will be approximately 250-270 meters long, 32-35 meters wide, and capable of speeds over 56 km/h.

The warship is projected to be equipped with conventional and nuclear-tipped missiles, including hypersonic missiles, along with electromagnetic railguns, 127 mm naval guns, laser weapons, and other close-range defense systems.

Phelan and Admiral Caudle noted that the Trump-class warship project remains in its very early stages. Advanced weapons, including electromagnetic railguns and laser weapons, have not yet been fully evaluated under real-world conditions, despite years of US Navy development.

Expected weapon systems and sensors on the Trump-class warship. Graphic: US Navy

The US Navy previously confirmed that the Trump-class warship project is a continuation of the Next-Generation Guided Missile Destroyer program, also known as DDG(X). It aims to leverage existing achievements and address shortcomings identified in the DDG(X) design.

President Donald Trump announced in 12/2025 that the US would build a series of "battleships" named after him. Although Trump referred to them as battleships, these vessels have a design and armament similar to the large cruisers and destroyers being developed by many nations.

"We're going to start almost immediately, and it will probably be two and a half years," President Trump replied when asked about plans to build the first two ships, though it remains unclear which stage of the process he was referring to.

By Nguyen Tien (Source: War Zone, AP, AFP)