According to reports from CCTV News and other media outlets, on Monday (22nd) local time, US President Trump held a press conference with Defense Secretary Hergsays at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, announcing the approval of the Navy's plan to build two new "Trump-class" battleships.
This is reportedly part of Trump's "Golden Fleet" plan, which aims to revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding industry and address the shortage of small ships exposed by recent military operations around the world. Trump announced that the U.S. Navy's "Golden Fleet" will include a new type of warship, equipped with missiles, hypersonic weapons, and high-powered lasers.
Trump calls them more advanced warships; these "Trump-class" warships, an upgrade from the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, will replace aging and outdated U.S. ships. The lead ship of the Trump-class is reportedly named USS Intrepid, and each ship will weigh between 30,000 and 40,000 tons, and will be built in the United States.
" They will be powered by artificial intelligence" "They are highly controlled. They will help maintain America's military superiority and revitalize America's shipbuilding industry," he said as he unveiled the new ships in the Mar-a-Lago library.
Trump also claimed that the warships were being built "all steel" instead of aluminum, and that the construction timeline would take approximately two and a half years. He will meet with the U.S. defense prime contractor next week because "they need to build new factories."
In terms of quantity, Trump stated that they would initially build two warships, then increase to ten, and eventually reach 20-25. The warships will also possess hypersonic weapons, laser weapons, and carry sea-based nuclear cruise missiles currently under development. He also revealed that the United States is building three large aircraft carriers.
He said, "They (the new warships) will be the fastest, the largest, and 100 times more powerful than any warship ever built."
In addition, the U.S. Navy announced on the 19th of this month that it is building a new type of frigate based on the Legend-class patrol ship to expand its surface combat fleet. The ship, codenamed FF(X), will be built by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) in Newport News, Virginia. FF(X) is intended to replace the canceled Constellation-class frigate program, positioned for littoral defense and conventional missions, to fill the gap in small surface combat vessels.
U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan announced the plan in a video released on X. According to him, this new fleet of frigates will be part of the "Golden Fleet," with the first ship expected to be completed in 2028. He stated that the ship will strive to be "intelligently built from the outset and upgraded in phases as the threat landscape and technology evolve."
In a video released last Friday, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle stated that the Navy's small surface combat fleet is only one-third the size of actual needs.
(Article source: CLS)
