Some of President Donald Trump’s proposed new class of Navy warships could become the most expensive surface combatants ever built by the United States, costing more than $17 billion each, according to Pentagon budget documents and defense analysis.
The so-called “Trump-class” Guided Missile Battleships (BBG(X)) were unveiled by the president last December as part of his broader “Golden Fleet” naval expansion initiative.
Navy budget documents request $1 billion in advance procurement funding for the lead BBG(X) guided missile battleship in fiscal year 2027, alongside plans for $16.47 billion in procurement funding in fiscal year 2028, when the Navy expects to buy the first vessel. Combined, those figures suggest the lead ship could cost roughly $17.47 billion.
This is significantly more than the USS Gerald R. Ford, widely considered to be the most expensive warship ever built before this, which cost around $13.3 billion. John Phelan, who was Navy Secretary until he was fired last month, previously told reporters that figures for the ship are an “early, initial estimate.”
Trump’s Battleships
Trump’s Guided Missile Battleship (BBG(X)), the “centerpiece of the Golden Fleet,” will be “the most lethal surface combatant ever built in the United States,” according to the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2027 Weapons Procurement budget justification.
The Navy said the ship, equipped with advanced combat systems, including missile launch capabilities designed to strike long-range land targets beyond the reach of the current fleet.
The ships are also expected to incorporate directed-energy weapons intended to improve defenses against incoming enemy threats.
It would be developed through a collaborative effort between the Navy and private industry aimed at speeding up the design and construction process, the Pentagon said.
Although Trump’s “Golden Fleet” is described as battleships, officials say they would be next-generation surface combatants built on technology derived from the Navy’s existing Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
Although Trump’s “Golden Fleet” has been described as battleships, officials say the vessels would be next-generation surface combatants based on technology derived from the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
Traditionally, battleships were large, heavily armored warships equipped with massive guns that dominated naval warfare during World War II. The Navy retired its last Iowa-class battleships in the 1990s as aircraft carriers and long-range missiles became the dominant force in modern naval combat, and made huge battleships obsolete.
Trump’s $17 Billion Battleship: Cost Breakdown
The Navy’s fiscal year 2027 Weapons Procurement budget justification document request $1 billion in advance procurement funding for the BBG(X) guided missile battleship program in fiscal year 2027.
The figure appears in the Pentagon’s “Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System” tables, which list procurement funding for the proposed warship in millions of dollars.
Additional figures appear in the Navy’s Shipbuilding and Conversion budget estimates, which project a further $16.47 billion in net procurement funding in fiscal year 2028, when the Navy expects to buy the lead vessel, USS Defiant (BBG-1).
In Pentagon budgeting, procurement funding generally refers to the money used to build and acquire military equipment, including the construction of the vessel itself and major onboard systems. Advance procurement funding is typically used for long-lead materials and components needed before full construction begins, while later procurement funding covers the main cost of building and outfitting the ship.
Everything Named After Trump During Presidency
The “Trump-class” fleet comes amid multiple other projects, programs and initiatives that have been given Trump’s name or likeness during his second term.
The U.S. State Department previously confirmed to Newsweek that it had plans to produce a “limited run” of 25,000 passports featuring Trump’s picture.
Other initiatives and institutions carrying Trump’s name include the “Trump Gold Card” residency visa program, “Trump Accounts” investment accounts for children created under the administration’s tax-and-spending legislation, and the government-backed prescription drug platform TrumpRx
Trump’s name was also added to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts—rebranded by administration officials as the “Trump-Kennedy Center”—as well as the U.S. Institute of Peace, which became the Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace.
The administration also approved commemorative gold coins bearing Trump’s likeness, while Treasury officials announced plans for Trump’s signature to appear on newly printed U.S. paper currency.
Newsweek has broken down a full list of everything Trump has added his name or image to here.
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