Trump Class Battleship (BBG-1) is Coming

The typical battleship emerged in an era when naval power was defined by the capability to lob heavy projectiles over long distances and also ensure own survival in the process. For decades, the battleship reined the surface combatant hierarchy, mounting the huge guns and the thickest of armor, designed to engage enemy fleets in conclusive sea shootouts. By the late interwar period and into World War II, this concept had reached its zenith. The US Navy typified the idea of the fast battleship with the Iowa Class battleship, combining heavy armament with speeds sufficient to keep pace with aircraft carriers. Once built, the Trump class would mark the Navy’s first new battleship design since the Iowa-class ships, the last of which was commissioned during World War II and decommissioned in the early 1990s, shifting surface combatant concept toward cruisers and destroyers optimized for missile warfare and carrier escort missions.

Iowa Class Battleship

Approval and funding by the U.S. Congress would be required before building can begin. This is a very large, heavily armed surface combatant intended to deliver deep-strike firepower, air and missile defense, and command functions within naval operations. It is a part of the Trump administration’s “Golden Fleet” initiative, which aims to increase U.S. naval capabilities with new large ships and complementary vessels. Because this is a very recent announcement (late December 2025), details are still emerging and many specifics about design, cost, timeline, and operational concepts are preliminary and subject to change as planning and Congressional review continue. The BBG-1 would be a large surface combatant envisioned to offer power projection, offensive strike, and integrated air and missile defense missions. At 840' to 880' long with a 105' to 115' beam, it will be slightly smaller than the largest 887'x108' Iowa class ship, yet pointedly larger than the 509.5'x66' Arleigh Burke destroyers. the lead battleship could range in cost from $14.3 billion to $20.6 billion.

Trump Class Battleship

According to many analysts and critics, the design is heavily influenced by the 32000-ton Soviet Kirov Class battlecruiser.

Kirov Class Battlecruiser

The BBG-1design includes large aviation facilities capable of supporting helicopters and V-22 Ospreys, hinting at an amphibious or special operations role. It is designed as a command ship, with extensive command-and-control infrastructure. The Trump class would also feature 5-inch naval guns, 128 vertical launch cells for launching slower-flying Tomahawk cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, or missile defense interceptors. It reportedly supports maneuverable Mach 5 nuclear-armed cruise missiles, making it a secondary strategic delivery platform. It is also envisioned as a host for multiple directed-energy systems, from laser dazzlers to high-powered defensive lasers, capped by the railgun. It is simultaneously pitched as a platform for extremely long-range hypersonic strikes and as a gunship that would need to close with its targets to exploit the railgun’s strengths.

BBG-1

BBG-1 Planned Specifications
Displacement	35,000 tonnes announced*
Dimensions	840 to 880 feet x 150-115 ft beam x 24-30 ft draft
Propulsion	Unknown, see notes
Speed	30 kn+ (56 km/h; 35 mph) announced
Range	Depends on the propulsion chosen
Armament	SLCM-N, 12 Cells CPS, 128 Cells Mk41 VLS, MJ Railgun, 2x 5-in HVP.
Protection	Stealth, kevlar, chaffs, EW, 2 lasers, 2 RAM, 2x 30mm RWS, 4x ODIN
Sensors	AN/SPY-6 AESA MFR, AN/SQS-60/61/20 sonar.
Air Group	4+ MH-60R helicopter(s), 2+ V22 Osprey, MQ-8 Fire Scout VT-UAVs
Crew	650-850 depending on automation

According to US Navy website, BBG-1 will be capable of operating independently, as part of a Carrier Strike Group, or commanding its own Surface Action Group (SAG). It may further provide forward command and control for both manned and unmanned systems.

Unlike the Russian Kirov Class Battlecruisers, the BBG-1 will not be nuclear powered. Yet, with a similar operational concept, the Trump Class Battleship not necessarily being operating as escorts within carrier groups, but as independent, massive hunters, is likely to generate a different naval surface operational concept. With its huge firepower, stated strong survivability and independent operational abilities - apart from operating part of a battle group, the Trump Class may be envisioned to support President Donald Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine” - to operate and dominate the coastlines of the Americas and even up to Greenland with prospective least possible escorts and support ships.