US Navy plans Trump-class warships armed with lasers and hypersonics

The US Navy is advancing plans to equip the upcoming Trump-class battleships with cutting-edge directed energy (DE) weapons, including high-energy lasers and hypersonic missiles, marking a significant shift toward operationalizing laser systems fleet-wide. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle strongly supports this initiative, viewing the Trump-class vessels as a critical “forcing function” to accelerate the integration of laser weapons both on ships and at shore bases. This push follows former President Donald Trump’s December 2025 announcement of a new battleship program under the ‘Golden Fleet’ concept, promising ships that are larger and more powerful than current destroyers, with advanced armaments like electromagnetic railguns and high-energy lasers. While the Navy has experimented with laser weapons for over a decade, widespread deployment has been limited. Currently, the USS Preble is outfitted with Lockheed Martin’s HELIOS system designed to counter drones and ISR threats, and other destroyers carry lower-powered ODIN lasers for sensor disruption. Successful