47's planning a new era Navy, a Golden Fleet featuring far larger, deadlier warships with a displacement of up to 20,000 tons, dwarfing today's destroyers.
These battleships will operate within a constellation of smaller ships, fast and agile, incorporating advanced new drone technology and weaponry.
Yes, America and the world awaits the maritime triumph of the Golden Fleet, but who will build it? According to Global Defense News:
"The U.S. shipbuilding industrial base, already stretched thin by the Columbia-class submarine program and Ford-class carriers, would need a major investment surge to support the Golden Fleet vision. Labor shortages, supply chain fragility, and capacity bottlenecks across key yards such as Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding may threaten schedule and budget discipline. According to a Navy shipbuilding cost model reviewed by Army Recognition, the Golden Fleet’s large surface combatant could cost between $4 billion and $6 billion per hull, depending on weapons loadout and radar suite."
US shipyards had better get busy, eh?
Semper Fortis,
LSP
