The estimate is stated in 2026 dollars and covers ships ordered between 2028 and 2056. The Navy’s fiscal 2027 shipbuilding plan calls for three initial orders, followed by about one battleship every other year.
The projected cost is far above the Navy’s earlier estimate for a conventionally powered design. The service had priced the first ship at $15.1 billion and the second and third vessels at an average of $10.2 billion.
CBO estimated that 15 conventionally powered battleships would cost $243 billion. Nuclear propulsion would add about $32 billion, or 13%, to the acquisition bill.
Nuclear power could lower operating costs by removing the need to buy conventional fuel. CBO said it lacked enough information to calculate those savings before the ship’s design and propulsion requirements are settled.
The Trump-class BBGN would displace at least 35,000 tons at full load and measure between 840 and 880 feet. It would be the world’s largest surface combatant and the largest built for the Navy since World War II.
The ship is expected to carry 128 Mark 41 vertical-launch cells and 12 Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missiles. Its planned armament also includes nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles, high-powered lasers, a rail gun and defensive weapons.
The battleship would replace the Navy’s planned DDG(X) destroyer, which had an estimated displacement of about 14,500 tons. The Navy said the larger design would avoid “undesirable capability and weapon system compromises” associated with the smaller ship.
An average battleship would cost about as much as five new DDG-51 destroyers. Those destroyers would require more sailors, maintenance and fossil fuel over their service lives, according to CBO.
The projected cost also places the battleship close to a Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. CBO estimates that future Ford-class carriers under the 2027 shipbuilding plan would cost about $22 billion each.
CBO questioned whether construction could begin in 2028 as planned. The battleship remains at an early design stage, while several current Navy ship programs already face long production delays.
Attack submarines, destroyers and large amphibious ships now take nine to 11 years to build. Comparable construction periods were five to six years during the first decade of the 2000s.
The Navy plans to use “modern digital engineering, advanced production practices, and [artificial intelligence]-enabled design tools to reduce cost and schedule risk from the outset.” CBO said delays involving simpler ships, including the Constellation-class frigate, show the scale of the challenge.
Newport News Shipbuilding is expected to perform final assembly because it is certified to build nuclear-powered surface ships. Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding could produce modules, but neither yard holds the required nuclear construction certification.
Final assembly would take place at Newport News’ Dock 12, which is used for aircraft carrier construction. CBO said the additional workload could deepen delays affecting three carriers and several submarines already under construction.
The final price will depend heavily on the ship’s size and configuration. A reduction to 30,000 tons could cut costs by about 13%, while an increase to 41,000 tons could raise the lead ship’s cost by 16%.
Advanced weapons and higher survivability requirements could also push costs above CBO’s estimate. Starting construction before the design is complete would increase the risk of rework, schedule slippage and cost growth.
The battleship is part of a wider shift toward larger surface combatants. The 2027 plan includes 72 large ships, compared with 51 under the Navy’s 2025 plan.
Average annual funding for large surface combatants would rise from $6.9 billion to $15.2 billion. Total annual funding for large and small surface combatants would increase from about $11 billion to $19 billion.
The plan would more than double the tonnage of large surface combatants under construction by 2035. Annual output would rise from about 16,000 tons to 35,000 tons, placing new pressure on an already constrained industrial base.
