Railgun for a Battleship: New Ideas for the US Navy
The proposed design of the future Trump-class battleship
The US military and political leadership is making new plans to modernize the navy. Bold ideas are being proposed regarding the construction of new ships, as well as their systems and weapons. For example, the recently announced Trump/USS Defiant "battleship" project proposes a return to the idea of a naval artillery railgun-based installations. Similar weapon should have a significant impact on the ship's overall combat capabilities.
Golden Fleet
On December 22, 2025, US President Donald Trump personally delivered a presentation on his plans for the development of the Navy in the near and medium term. He announced his intention to undertake a major modernization of the Navy, aimed at improving its combat readiness and other indicators. This program will be called Golden Fleet. fleet»).
For the future "Golden Fleet," it is proposed to develop and build new ships with expanded capabilities. Currently, the hypothetical project is designated the Trump-class, and its main features have already been finalized. During a recent event, the White House and the Navy revealed the possible design of the future ship and outlined its key characteristics.
The proposed Trump project envisions a significant increase in the ship's firepower compared to existing pennant-class ships. To achieve this, the new "battleship" is proposed to be equipped with a variety of artillery, rocket and other weapons, as well as modern electronic equipment.
Weapons complex of the future ship
The most interesting aspect of the proposed weapons system is the forward gun mount. It is planned to be based on a so-called railgun. Documents for the new project indicate that the weapon will have a muzzle energy of 32 megajoules. Additionally, the Trump "battleship" could be equipped with lasers, various missiles, and other weapons.
To date, only the most basic details about the future combat ship for the US Navy have been revealed. The actual stage of the project, how soon it will be developed, and so on, remain unknown. The exact specifications, equipment, and armament are also uncertain.
Nevertheless, the materials presented demonstrate how the country's leadership envisions the new ship. At the same time, questions arise about the balance between desires, capabilities, and feasibility. Donald Trump, who unveiled the new project, is prone to impulsive statements and actions, which must be taken into account in the context of naval development.
New type of artillery
The materials presented contain only the most general information about the future Trump-class ship. However, they provide insight into the potential weapons of such a "battleship," including those based on new principles.
The experimental EMRG rail gun, tested in the 1910s
The diagram depicts a turret-mounted artillery mount. It is stated to be equipped with a high-energy "railgun." The use of high-velocity Hyper-Velocity Projectile projectiles is also mentioned. However, the mount's appearance or even its basic specifications are not specified. This is likely because they have not yet been defined or developed.
Railguns and combat lasers place special demands on the power supply. Published materials indicate the use of a combined main propulsion system with diesel and gas turbine engines. Its parameters, including power generation, are not disclosed. However, it is reported that such a propulsion system will enable the ship to reach a speed of at least 30 knots.
Useful experience
It's worth noting that this isn't the first time the US Navy has considered equipping new warships with railguns. Full-scale research and development work on such weapons began in the early 1990s and was only halted a few years ago. During this time, valuable experience was accumulated, and a number of prototypes were developed and tested.
The Naval Surface Warfare Center, through its Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), was developing railguns for the Navy. Various scientific and commercial organizations from the defense industry were also involved. By the late 1990s, the first technology demonstrator guns with sufficiently high performance were built.
By the mid-2000s, experimental cannons demonstrated muzzle energy of 8-10 megajoules. In 2010, a cannon with an energy of 32 megajoules was tested. Calculations indicated that a cannon with this level of performance could already be used on warships and demonstrate significant advantages over conventional artillery.
In the mid-2010s, the Pentagon launched the development of fully-fledged naval gun mounts. Testing of the first prototypes was planned to begin within a few years, and by the end of the decade, such systems could be deployed on standard carriers.
At the same time, work was underway on a new projectile, the Hyper-Velocity Projectile (HVP). It was intended to be accelerated in the gun to speeds of approximately Mach 5-7 and fly to a range of at least 80-100 nautical miles. It was also planned to be guided for precise target engagement at all firing ranges.
The first carriers of the new weapons were to be the prospective Zumwalt-class destroyers. Two railgun turrets were to be mounted on the bow of such a ship. The destroyer design included a new propulsion plant capable of generating 75-78 MW of electricity—specifically to power the fundamentally new weapons.
However, all promising projects failed to meet expectations. Due to excessive complexity and cost, as well as delays in construction, the Navy drastically scaled back its new destroyer construction program. Furthermore, development of railguns and their mounts was halted in 2021.
The breech of the EMRG product
Future Challenges
Judging by statements by Donald Trump and information from the Navy, the US command is considering resuming work on railguns. When and how such projects will be restarted remains unknown. However, it is already clear what challenges the developers of such weapons and the ships that carry them will face. It should be remembered, however, that the US has extensive experience in developing such systems.
It's safe to assume that the development of the gun itself won't face any significant challenges. The process of creating the mount, including the turret and belowdeck components, will also be relatively straightforward. The new gun should have a muzzle energy of 32 megajoules, i.e., comparable to previous prototypes tested.
However, it cannot be ruled out that the new artillery system will face new requirements. Furthermore, this project may incorporate new ideas and solutions. All this will lead to a major revision of previous developments or require the system to be designed almost from scratch.
One of the main challenges of railguns is their increased power consumption, which places special demands on the launch platform. The Zumwalt project, as has been repeatedly emphasized, achieved a significant generation reserve. Clearly, these developments can be used to create new types of railgun propulsion systems with high performance characteristics that meet the requirements of the advanced weapon.
An experimental HVP projectile and a target after being hit by such ammunition.
High muzzle energy allows for increased muzzle velocity and effective range. However, this increases the projectile's aerodynamic and thermal loads, prolongs its flight time, and reduces accuracy. For these reasons, previous programs focused on developing a new projectile.
The HVP munition had to meet the specific requirements of a railgun shot—it had a special design, could withstand the stresses of hypersonic flight, and so on. A homing system was also developed. While these technical challenges were successfully addressed, the munition proved too complex to manufacture and prohibitively expensive. Whether a new version of the HVP can be made simpler and cheaper remains to be seen. Technological advances in recent years provide grounds for optimism, but do not guarantee success.
At the same time, the railgun must be capable of using not only specially designed but also standard projectiles. This will make it a sufficiently flexible weapon, capable of attacking targets beyond long ranges. However, this will require design optimization or the introduction of additional features, such as projectile guide devices.
Return to the old
Donald Trump intends to restore the United States to its former glory. As it now appears, this requires returning battleships to service and resuming work on naval railguns. The general concept for such a warship was recently unveiled, along with the desired composition of its weapons suite.
Clearly, these are only the most general ideas and wishes of the Navy or the President so far. Now, specialists from relevant Navy organizations will have to study the new proposal, make adjustments, and then, perhaps, develop a full-fledged technical specification. Whether the Trump-class project will reach this stage and move forward remains to be seen.
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