Overview
- A new Congressional Research Service primer outlines open questions for lawmakers on the Navy’s notional BBG(X) battleship, including whether to approve, reject, or modify the proposal.
- CRS notes the first ship is only tentatively targeted for the early 2030s and estimates a unit could cost more than 3.6 times a DDG‑51, potentially rivaling a Ford‑class carrier or multiple Virginia‑class submarines.
- Only three U.S. yards are seen as capable—Bath Iron Works, Ingalls, and Newport News—but all face backlogs and labor strains that could slow any new large‑surface combatant.
- The report questions whether key systems touted for BBG(X)—electromagnetic railguns, higher‑power lasers, and hypersonic weapons—will be mature enough to include in a near‑term design.
- Commentary from defense analysts argues the concept is poorly matched to modern naval doctrine and predicts it will be quietly shelved or folded into other programs, with CRS also asking how it would affect or displace the planned DDG(X) destroyer effort.