The new Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers, beyond the Nimitz-class, which has been proven in battle, serve as a powerful force behind the CVN-21 Aircraft Carrier Program. Produced by Newport News Shipbuilding, an enterprise of Huntington Ingalls Industries, the Gerald R. Ford-class carriers symbolize timeless progress within the operational stockpile of the U.S. Navy.
The Gerald R. Ford class, named after the 38th President of the United States, represents the latest in naval engineering and technology. The lead ship of the class, USS Gerald R. Ford, was delivered to the Navy in May 2017 and commissioned in July 2017. It wrapped up a grueling final deployment composite training unit exercise this April and is now certified as a combat-deployable warship.
However, the second carrier of this class, USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), was christened in December 2019, and its delivery is expected in July 2025. The rest of the carriers belonging to this class, such as the USS Enterprise (CVN 80) and USS Doris Miller (CVN 81), are slated for delivery in March 2028 and February 2032, respectively.
CVN 78 The Gerald R. Ford class began on contract development with Northrop Grumman Newport News. The company was awarded a series of contracts, including a $107.6 million contract in July 2003 followed by a $1.39 billion contract in May 2004. The first steel for CVN 78 was cut in August 2005, and a $5.1 billion contract for detailed design and construction was awarded in September 2008. The keel of the ship was laid down in November 2009 and fitted with four 30-tonne bronze propellers in October 2013.
The Gerald R. Ford-class carriers take displacement at about 100,000 tons, larger than their predecessors of the Nimitz class, but they carry between 500 to 900 less crew through the use of more advanced automation and newer technologies. The class contains 23 new or upgraded systems; among them are the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) to facilitate improved aircraft launch and recovery.
First deployed in 1972, the Nimitz-class carriers have formed the backbone of U.S. naval supremacy for going on 50 years. These nuclear-powered behemoths, built by Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding, are powered by two Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors and can achieve speeds over 30 knots. Each carrier displaces around 100,000 tons and carries a crew of approximately 3,200, plus over 2,000 personnel as part of the air wing.
Nevertheless, with all these capabilities, the Nimitz-class carriers, including their peer, the Gerald Ford, remain threatened by modern A2/AD systems of rivals. Tellingly, multiple attacks of this kind could potentially circumscribe the freedom of operation. Putting into question the effectiveness of carriers in future conflicts, comfort may no longer be found for this staggering platform.
So the question becomes, with the U.S. Navy going into the Ford-class aircraft carriers, what is relevant for expensive vessels in an age dominated by A2/AD systems? Though the Ford-class carriers truly have advanced features and design improvements, some scholars are still questioning if the era of aircraft carriers is at its end.
The Gerald R. Ford-class carriers are designed to achieve higher sortie rates, with all the above being able to carry 160 sorties in a day and surge to 220 in periods of intense air warfare. The notions above compile the ability to improve operational efficiency in the smaller carriers with a relocated island, the flight deck, and deck-edge elevators for more aircraft parking areas on the deck.
The Gerald R. Ford-class carriers, while a measure of significance in terms of advancement in naval technology with increased capabilities, required fewer guards. The popularity of A2/AD capabilities complicated these enhancements with the evolving threat environment and the subsequent rise, which again could call into question the utility/viability of large-deck traditional aircraft carriers. Staffing out the U.S. Navy of deviation from the old order continues as numerous questions hang open for the future of naval warfare, of which the Gerald R. Ford class should be at the vanguard for this conversion.