Navy Lays Out Modular Build Plan for Nuclear Trump‑Class Battleship

Overview

• Navy officials told Congress the service will split fabrication of large hull and systems modules across multiple shipyards and combine them for final assembly at HII’s Newport News Dry Dock 12.
• The program will use the Ford‑class A1B nuclear reactor to give the 35,000‑ton ship high endurance, speed, and the electrical power needed for advanced weapons and sensors.
• The service and industry plan to manage Newport News carrier schedules so construction of the first Trump‑class can be 'feathered in' alongside work on future Ford‑class ships.
• HII said it is expanding a distributed shipbuilding network and increasing partner work‑sharing after reporting a 15 percent rise in Newport News throughput in 2025, and Bath Iron Works is expected to build modules.
• The Navy is leaning on decades of modular submarine production by HII and General Dynamics Electric Boat as a precedent for moving large blocks by barge and assembling them at one yard to speed delivery and spread workload.