Now Reading: US battleship fleet projected to cost $275 billion, CBO says
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US battleship fleet projected to cost $275 billion, CBO says
The proposed US Navy Trump-class nuclear-powered battleship fleet could cost $275 billion between 2028 and 2056, according to the Congressional Budget Office report cited by The Times of India. The plan covers…
The Story in Brief
The proposed US Navy Trump-class nuclear-powered battleship fleet could cost $275 billion between 2028 and 2056, according to the Congressional Budget Office report cited by The Times of India. The plan covers 15 ships, including a $23.4 billion lead vessel and 14 others costing about $18 billion each in 2026 dollars.
The 35,000-tonne ships would carry 128 missile-launch cells, hypersonic weapons, lasers, a railgun and nuclear-armed cruise missiles. The CBO estimates a conventional version would cost $243 billion, with nuclear propulsion adding about 13 per cent. The Navy would also need to more than double large surface-combatant production by 2035, while Newport News Shipbuilding remains the only US yard certified to build new nuclear-powered surface warships.
The Indian Opinion
Claims that bigger ships automatically deliver stronger security overlook the price and industrial bottlenecks here. The opposite claim, that the programme is simply a vanity project, also goes beyond the available evidence because the weapons mix could offer substantial firepower. The practical test is whether US shipyards can meet the 2035 production target without worsening delays to destroyers, submarines and aircraft carriers, while keeping the fleet near the projected $275 billion cost.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
