For now, the USS Gerald R. Ford will remain the sole ship in its class to sail the seas.
The US Navy’s Nimitz-class supercarriers have represented the service’s power projection capability since their introduction half a century ago. While these tried and trusted ships remain a reliable and powerful deterrent out at sea, they no longer are considered to represent the most formidable carrier platform. The Nimitz’s Ford-class successor features all the latest and greatest technologies available. These mega carriers are simply the most capable warships built in naval history. So far, the lead ship of the Ford-class, USS Gerald R. Ford, is the only vessel in this series to commission and deploy with the Navy. The second ship of the class, USS John F. Kennedy, remains under construction. Although the second Ford ship is nearly complete, issues pertaining to its electromagnetic catapult system are causing delays to its production timeline. According to a report released by the General Accountability Office, “construction material availability and persistent shipyard workforce issues continue to slow down production of new carriers at Huntington Ingalls Industry Newport News Shipyard.”
The Ford-class is not the only new Navy platform that is suffering from delays. Nearly all of the service’s next-generation projects are facing setbacks in one way or another. The upcoming Constellation-class frigates, the latest Virginia Block V submarines, and the Ford carriers are just some of the vessels impacted by these delays, according to a review ordered in 2024 by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. Last month, military officials told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense that the service remains years behind in its projected shipbuilding deliveries. It appears the John F. Kennedy’s delivery has been stagnated amidst these constraints.
An Overview of the Ford-class
The Ford nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are being developed from the ground up by the Newport News Shipbuilding division of Huntington Ingalls. In order to retain both a qualitative and quantitative edge over its adversaries, the US Navy’s Ford-class incorporates unmatched capabilities that will give it early decisive striking power, among other advantages, in a potential kinetic conflict. As detailed by the service, the Ford vessels and their accompanying carrier strike groups will provide deterrence, power projection, maritime security, and other functions as they commission. The Ford ships will achieve these goals in part due to their electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) and advanced arresting gear (AAG). EMALS represents a departure from the steam-operated Nimitz-class carriers, capable of providing higher sortie rates among other improvements. Coupled with AAG, the Ford ships can reportedly launch 25 percent more sorties than their Nimitz predecessors in addition to generating three times the amount of electrical power. These new warships are powered by the new Bechtel A1B reactor, which is more powerful than the A4W reactors that power the Nimitz ships.
Until the USS John F. Kennedy officially enters service with the Navy, the USS Ford will remain the sole ship in its class to sail the seas.
About the author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
Image: DVIDS.
