Chinese Naval Researchers Back Trump’s Giant-Gun Warship Concept

A research article appearing last month in the peer-reviewed journal *Command Control & Simulation* argues that very large naval guns could play a decisive role in future combat by disrupting inexpensive drone swarms. The study, authored by Wang Lei and colleagues at the People’s Liberation Army’s Dalian Naval Academy, proposes firing prefabricated-fragment shells that detonate near a swarm, creating a high-speed cloud of shrapnel capable of damaging multiple unmanned aerial vehicles simultaneously.

South China Morning Post

In December, President Donald Trump announced a “Golden Fleet” concept that includes a new class of battleship—often dubbed the Trump-class—equipped with extensive missile payloads, nine large-calibre naval guns, and a suite of electromagnetic weapons. The design has been widely described by commentators as a nostalgic, high-cost project reminiscent of World-War-II battleships.

South China Morning Post

Wang Lei’s team contends that the kinetic effect of large-calibre shells offers a cost-effective counter to the proliferating threat of cheap, mass-produced drones. By generating a dense fragment field, the guns could neutralize swarms that might otherwise overwhelm missile-based defenses. The paper positions this capability as complementary to, rather than a replacement for, existing long-range missile systems.

South China Morning Post

The Chinese researchers present their findings as a strategic recommendation for navies confronting autonomous threats. U.S. officials have not publicly responded to the Chinese analysis, but the proposal has attracted ridicule on social media, with some online commenters labeling the Trump-class ships “designed by a rich moron” and mocking the notion of “gold-plated” vessels. The divergent views highlight an ongoing debate over whether concentrating firepower on a single, expensive platform is prudent in an era dominated by missiles and unmanned systems.

South China Morning Post