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CBO: Lead Trump-Class Battleship Could Cost $23.4 Billion
The 35,000-ton USS Defiant would gain unlimited range and power for advanced weapons, but the program faces supply-chain and manpower shortages, officials said.
- On August 4, 2026, the Navy confirmed the future Trump-class battleship USS Defiant will be nuclear-powered, marking the United States' first nuclear-powered surface combatant since the Cold War Period.
- Nuclear power was selected over conventional propulsion to provide the endurance and energy density required for high-output lasers, enabling the ship to operate across the Pacific.
- The planned 15-ship fleet carries an estimated cost of roughly $217.6 billion, featuring 128 vertical-launch cells and 12 weapon positions, though final armor specifications and combat-system baselines remain unpublished.
- Construction relies on BWX Technologies, the only facility capable of producing necessary nuclear reactors, raising concerns the program will worsen delays on Ford-class carriers and AUKUS reactor work.
- Congress has not yet approved the $1 billion in advance procurement for fiscal 2027, and House and Senate negotiators had not reconciled stopgap bills as of August 4, 2026.
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Trump's $275 Billion Battleship Fleet Set to Be 'Most Expensive US Warships Ever'
"At a time when families are struggling to afford groceries, gas, healthcare, and childcare, Congress cannot throw hundreds of billions of dollars at Trump’s ‘Golden Fleet,’" said one Democratic senator.
·Portland, United States
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With the number of warships, the US has recently fallen behind China. Donald Trump invests a large billion in nuclear-powered military ships. The president breaks with a US tradition.
The future class of warships imagined by the U.S. President aims to modernize the U.S. Navy with state-of-the-art technologies. ...
·Brussels, Belgium
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources19
Leaning Left1Leaning Right6Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
C 50%
R 43%
Factuality
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