Washington: The first Trump-class battleship is anticipated to exceed a cost of $17 billion, with the cumulative expense of three vessels surpassing $43 billion, Axios reported Wednesday. The battleship initiative was launched in December as part of the US administration's Golden Fleet plan.

According to Anadolu Agency, John Phelan, who served as US Navy secretary until last week, referred to the price tag as an "early, initial estimate" during discussions with reporters. "We'll see where we really settle down, as we get through that and start to rationalize some of the costs," he mentioned while attending the Sea-Air-Space conference in Maryland.

The report highlighted that the US is already grappling with challenges in constructing and maintaining its current fleet. A case in point is the USS Boise, which was eventually scrapped after being docked for about a decade. "We are looking at a couple of different ways to relieve some of the pressure that might be put on the industrial base," Phelan added. "I think we have to still define that a little bit more."

The Navy is yet to decide on whether the battleship will be nuclear-powered, as per the report. Initial specifications indicate a heavily armed platform equipped with laser turrets, a railgun, and the capability to deploy both hypersonic and nuclear weapons, with a crew of at least 650 sailors. Construction is expected to commence in 2028.