The shipbuilding blueprint, released Monday, formally acknowledged for the first time that the Trump-class battleship could be nuclear-powered. According to the document, the vessel is intended to provide increased combat capability through greater endurance, higher speed and the capacity to support advanced weapons systems.
“The nuclear-powered battleship is designed to provide the fleet with a significant increase in combat power by longer endurance, higher speed, and accommodating advanced weapon systems required for modern warfare,” the plan stated.
“Adding capability at the highest end of the highlow mix, the battleship’s primary role is to deliver high-volume, long-range offensive fires and serve as a robust, survivable forward command and control platform, it is not a destroyer replacement,” the proposal added.
The Navy stated that the Trump-class concept builds on years of work associated with the former DDG(X) large surface combatant program. The service said the earlier destroyer program would have required unacceptable tradeoffs in capability and weapons integration.
“Even the planned DDG(X) program made undesirable capability and weapon system compromises,” the shipbuilding proposal stated. “Our fleet deserves and our national security requires the most comprehensive capability a surface combatant can provide, not just what we can make do with tradeoffs.”
According to the plan, the Navy intends to procure 15 Trump-class battleships over the next 30 years. The service also outlined its strategy for acquiring medium unmanned surface vessels, or MUSVs, through purchases made under other transaction authority agreements rather than traditional acquisition processes.
The proposal stated that the Navy plans to buy 36 MUSVs this year using rapid prototyping and operational testing approaches. The vessels are designed to carry up to two 40-foot shipping containers and support multiple mission profiles.
“This approach accelerates capability delivery by enabling rapid prototyping with a broad range of industry partners,” the plan stated. “To incentivize industry’s internal investment, payments will only be made for demonstrated operational success, with opportunities for non-competitive, follow-on production agreements.”
“The government will not fund bespoke prototype design or fabrication,” the document added.
The shipbuilding plan also forecasts the retirement of several major naval platforms during the coming decade. Within the next five years, the Navy intends to decommission three guided missile submarines, four ballistic missile submarines and two aircraft carriers as existing vessels reach or exceed projected service lives.
In fiscal year 2027, the Navy plans to recycle USS Ohio (SSGN-726) and USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN-730) while dismantling USS Nimitz (CVN-68). The service also plans to recycle USS Boise (SSN-764) after the submarine spent more than a decade awaiting overhaul work.
Additional retirements include USS Florida (SSGN-728) and USS Alabama (SSBN-731) in fiscal year 2028, followed by USS Michigan (SSGN-727) in fiscal year 2029. The Navy also plans to retire USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) and USS Nevada (SSBN-733) in fiscal year 2030.
The proposal stated that the Navy is reviewing the design baseline for the future Ford-class aircraft carrier CVN-82. According to the plan, the review is intended to improve lethality, survivability and producibility while potentially lowering costs.
“We are currently reviewing the CVN-82 design baseline to further increase lethality, enhance survivability, and improve producibility, while also simplifying the design and potentially leading to decreased cost,” the proposal stated.
“Once this review is complete, we will conduct a detailed analysis to determine the optimal procurement and construction approach for CVN-82,” the plan added. “We anticipate continuing to program advance procurement funds for industry-critical and long lead material.”
The shipbuilding blueprint also projects procurement of two attack submarines annually over the next three decades. Beginning in fiscal year 2030, the Navy intends to purchase two destroyers per year while continuing serial production of the DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to sustain fleet numbers and industrial capacity.
“The procurement plan for DDG 51 is to continue the serial production for the foreseeable future to maintain fleet size, ensure a stable workload for the industrial base, and bridge the gap as the next generation of warships is introduced,” the proposal stated.
“We must increase productivity and reduce the backlog to meet our objective of a production rate of at least two per year,” the document added.
Source: USNI News.
