The U.S. Navy is preparing to fully build the Trump-class battleships—abandoning the Ford-class carriers?
The U.S. Navy really intends to construct the Trump-class battleship...
According to news from the U.S. website "The War Zone," on the 11th, the U.S. Navy overturned the previous statement by former Secretary of the Navy John Fenland, announcing that the Trump-class battleship will adopt a nuclear power system.
What does this mean?
To put it simply, currently, the only shipyard in the United States capable of building nuclear-powered surface vessels (i.e., Ford-class carriers) is Newport News Shipbuilding. Therefore, the U.S. Navy's announcement that the Trump-class battleship will use a nuclear power system inevitably will occupy a significant portion of Newport News Shipbuilding’s limited production capacity and severely strain the already tight schedule for the Ford-class carriers.
In fact, it can be argued that the Ford-class carriers may never be completed—the U.S. Navy plans to order the first Trump-class battleship in fiscal year 2028, with the lead ship entering service in fiscal year 2036. Thus, if Newport News Shipbuilding prioritizes building the Trump-class battleships, the construction of the Ford-class carriers Enterprise (third ship), Doris Miller (fourth ship), and subsequent vessels will face serious delays.
Combined with earlier reports that the U.S. Navy was preparing to review the Ford-class program, one cannot help but suspect that there might be some unknown major issues with the Ford-class project.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864979604082704/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author