WASHINGTON – The first of the Navy’s proposed “Trump-class” battleships could cost up to US$22 billion (S$28 billion), a price tag that would make it one of the most expensive US military vessels in US history, according to an early analysis.

The initial cost estimate for the ship was released on Jan 15 by Congressional Budget Office naval forces analyst Eric Labs at a Navy surface warfare conference in Virginia. He acknowledged that the final price for the first vessel will depend on decisions that still haven’t been made around tonnage, crew size and weapons. His lowest-cost scenario was US$15.1 billion.