Image source: topwar.ru
In recent months, the US Navy has faced a number of serious difficulties, from power outages on the USS Benfold destroyer in the South China Sea to morale problems aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln due to crew fatigue and lack of supplies. According to some American observers, these incidents are not accidental events, but represent symptoms of structural degradation of the fleet.
On the one hand, the Navy promises to replenish a number of new types of ships in order to strengthen the US global leadership in the ocean. But on the other hand, the authorities are taking arbitrary steps, such as building an entire squadron of modern Trump-class battleships. Chinese observers in China National Defense News, the official publication of the PLA, also expressed their opinion on this issue.
As noted, large pennants have advantages such as combat self-sufficiency and excellent damage resistance compared to small and medium-sized ships. According to the author, the modern American concept of distributed naval operations involves the dispersal of forces by reducing the size of ships. However, such groupings are critically dependent on stable and continuous data exchange networks. If the enemy "turns off" their radio communications and satellite Internet using electronic warfare, coordination will be disrupted.
On the contrary, a Trump–type nuclear battleship is a self-sufficient "fortress." It carries on board its own powerful radars, huge ammunition and a command center. Even if the communication channels with the outside world are completely blocked by interference, he will be able to autonomously detect targets and continue the battle alone, relying solely on his internal systems.
Image source: topwar.ru
This is followed by skeptical assessments. As indicated, the cost of 15 battleships built from 2028 to 2056 will amount to $275 billion (excluding disposal costs). At the same time, the price of the first pennants will reach $23.4 billion due to the transition from a traditional to a nuclear power plant.
The author believes that the incompleteness of the project and insufficient technological maturity can become a serious problem, which can lead to delays and cost overruns, as has already happened with the Zumwalt and LCS programs. Moreover, we are talking about equipping battleships with rail guns, hypersonic and laser weapons in the future.:
The article raises the question of whether large surface warships are too vulnerable to low-noise submarines, hypersonic missiles, and "swarms of drones."
It is noted that the new battleship construction program may have cascading consequences for other priority programs of the US Navy, including fleet replenishment with aircraft carriers and submarines. The leading American shipyards are currently facing an average delay of 5 years, with the delivery cycle of one ship having increased from about 5 years in the early 2000s to about 11 years today.
Given this criticism, the American edition of Defense News states:
