John F. Kennedy (CVN-79)

SECNAV Spencer: Carrier Ford Challenges Tied to Costs Caps, Requirements Process

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) conducts high-speed turns in the Atlantic Ocean on Oct. 29, 2019. US Navy Photo

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The secretary of the Navy said a congressional cost cap on the first Ford-class aircraft carrier led to bad decisions that are reverberating today, and he hopes smarter discussions around cost, risk and requirements will be had for future ship classes such as the upcoming frigate program.

As the Navy and shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding...

https://news.usni.org/2019/10/30/secnav-spencer-carrier-ford-challenges-tied-to-costs-caps-requirements-process

Navy to Update 2 Dry Docks to Accommodate Ford-Class Carriers

Newport News Shipbuilding floods Dry Dock 12 to float the first-in-class aircraft carrier, Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) on Oct. 11, 2013. Navy photo

Only one of the Navy’s 18 dry docks used for maintaining the nuclear-powered carrier fleet can support a Ford-class carrier, Navy officials told USNI News.

Dry Dock 8 at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard can handle a Ford-class carrier, but only after a temporary cooling water systems is set up. A permanent cooling water system and other...

https://news.usni.org/2019/08/30/navy-to-update-2-dry-docks-to-accommodate-ford-class-carriers

Nimitz and Ford Carriers Need Upgrades to Deploy With F-35Cs

An F-35C Lightning II assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101 is positioned on the bow catapults of the Nimitz-Class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) March 17, 2018, in the Atlantic Ocean. US Navy photo

Currently, the Navy does not have an aircraft carrier — either Ford-class or Nimitz-class — that can support the service’s most advanced fighters for a full deployment, service officials told USNI News on Thursday.

Earlier this week, lawmakers expressed their frustration with...

https://news.usni.org/2019/06/06/nimitz-and-ford-carriers-need-upgrades-to-deploy-with-f-35cs

Congress Unhappy With Ford-Class Inability to Deploy With F-35 Fighters

The island of the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) is landed onto the flight deck during a mast-stepping ceremony at Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va., May 29, 2019. Navy photo.

CAPITOL HILL – The Navy’s newest aircraft carriers are being delivered without the capability to deploy with the service’s most advanced fighters, a situation lawmakers call unacceptable.

The House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee included in...

https://news.usni.org/2019/06/03/congress-unhappy-with-ford-class-inability-to-deploy-with-f-35-fighters

USS Gerald R. Ford Weapons Elevator Certifications Will Extend Past October

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (May 23, 2019) Capt. John J. Cummings, USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) commanding officer, leads Rear Adm. Kenneth Whitesell, commander, Carrier Strike Group 4, on a tour of the ship’s flight deck. US Navy photo

When USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) leaves Newport News Shipbuilding in mid-October, only some of its Advanced Weapons Elevators will be usable as the Navy continues to struggle in making the ship deployable, Navy acquisition chief James Geurts said Wednesday.


The Ford will...

https://news.usni.org/2019/05/29/uss-gerald-r-ford-weapons-elevator-certifications-will-extend-past-october

Experts: Navy Would Spend Billions to Answer Trump’s Call to Return Carriers to Steam Catapults

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 3rd Class Darius Jarmon lubricates an electromagnetic aircraft launching system (EMALS) catapult aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). US Navy Photo.

President Donald Trump again called to install steam catapults on future aircraft carriers, in a move experts say that move would cost billions of dollars and reduce the capital ships’ capabilities.

Trump, who has been critical of the Ford-class carriers’ new electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS)system,...

https://news.usni.org/2019/05/28/experts-navy-would-spend-billions-to-answer-trumps-call-to-return-carriers-to-steam-catapults

Top Stories 2018: Navy Acquisition

USNI News polled its writers, naval analysts and service members on what they consider the most important military and maritime stories in 2018. This story is part of USNI News year-end series.

F-35C Joint Strike Fighter

An F-35C Lightning II assigned to the “Argonauts” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 sits chained on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) on Dec. 9, 2018. US Navy Photo

The Navy’s F-35C had an important year, with the fighter seeing its...

https://news.usni.org/2019/01/01/40013

Navy Tackling Ford-Class Weapons Elevator Challenges; Decision on 2-Carrier Buy Still Pending

F/A-18F Pilot LCDR Jamie R. Struck the makes first carrier arrested landing using AAG system aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) off the Virginia coast. US Navy Photo

CAPITOL HILL – The Navy’s acquisition chief said the weapons elevators on USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) will be built and installed by the time the ship comes out of its ongoing post-shakedown availability, but he may launch an independent review team to look at the long-term sustainability and reliability of the elevators.

The...

https://news.usni.org/2018/11/28/navy-tackling-ford-class-weapons-elevator-challenges-decision-2-carrier-buy-still-pending

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