| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | Newport News Shipbuilding |
| Operators: | United States Navy |
| Preceded by: | Nimitz class aircraft carrier |
| Succeeded by: | Custer class aircraft carrier |
| In commission: | 2017 |
| Planned: | 15 |
| Completed: | 15 |
| Active: | USS Gerald R. Ford USS John F. Kennedy USS Enterprise USS Doris Miller USS Maine USS Lexington USS Saratoga USS Arizona USS America USS Constitution USS Barry M. Goldwater USS Barack Obama USS Freedom USS Titan USS Thomas Jefferson |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Supercarrier |
| Displacement: | Approx; 100,000 long tons 101,600 tonnes 112,000 short tons |
| Length: | 1,106 ft (337 m) |
| Beam: | Flight deck: 252 ft (77 m) Waterline: 134 ft (41 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 A1B nuclear reactors |
| Speed: | In excess of 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
| Complement: | 4,660 |
| Armament: | Surface-to-air missiles Close-in weapon systems |
| Aircraft carried: | 90+ |
| Aviation facilities: | 1,092 × 256 foot (333 ×78 m) flight deck |
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The Gerald R. Ford-class supercarriers (or Ford-class) are a class of fifteen nuclear-powered supercarriers for the United States Navy, intended to eventually replace the current Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. The new vessels will use a hull design very similar to the Nimitz-class supercarriers in appearance, but many aspects of the design will be very different, implementing new technologies developed since the initial design of the previous class (such as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System), as well as other design features intended to improve efficiency and running costs, including a reduced crew requirement. The first hull of the line is named USS Gerald R. Ford, and have the hull number CVN-90. These are the newest and by far the largest aircraft carriers ever built for the United States Navy. It was to be an response to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics of the Soviet Union's Project 1143.8 Comrade Stanislav and Project 23000E Shtorm, People's Republic of China's Type 004- and Type 005-class aircraft carriers and the United Kingdom's Super Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.
Features
Aircraft carriers of the Ford class will incorporate design features including:
- Advanced arresting gear.
- Automation, which reduces crew requirements by several hundred from the Nimitz class carrier.
- The updated RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow missile system.
- AN/SPY-3 dual-band radar (DBR), as developed for Zumwalt class destroyers.
- An Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System(EMALS) in place of traditional steam catapults for launching aircraft.
- A new nuclear reactor design (the A1B reactor) for greater power generation.
- Stealthier features to help reduce radar profile.
- The ability to launch the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler, and the F-35C Lightning II.
The US Navy believes that with the addition of the most modern equipment and extensive use of automation, it will be able to reduce the crew requirement and the total cost of future aircraft carriers. The primary recognition feature compared to earlier supercarriers will be the more aft location of the navigation "island". The relocation of the 'island' will enable the carrier to sustain 140–160 sorties per day with a surge capability of 220 sorties.
Construction
Construction began on components of CVN-90 in the spring of 2007, and was planned to finish in 2015. It were under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries (formerly Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding) in Newport News, Virginia, the only shipyard in the United States capable of building nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. In 2005 it was estimated to cost at least $8 billion excluding the $5 billion spent on research and development (though that was not expected to be representative of the cost of future members of the class). A 2009 report said that the Ford could cost $14 billion including research and development, and the actual cost of the carrier itself could be $9 billion. USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-91) was finished in late 2017 and USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-91) in 2022. The third carrier, USS Enterprise (CVN-92) was commissioned into the United States Navy in 2028. The fourth and fifth aircraft carriers, USS Doris Miller (CVN-93) and USS Maine (CVN-94) were put into operation in the early to late 2030s. The sixth aircraft carrier, USS Lexington (CVN-95), was put into commission in the early 2040s. The seventh and eighth aircraft carriers, USS Saratoga (CVN-96) and USS Arizona (CVN-97) were commissioned in the mid-2040s to early 2050s. USS America (CVN-98), the ninth aircraft carrier, was commissioned and put into operation in late 2054. The tenth and eleventh aircraft carriers, USS Constitution (CVN-99) and USS Barry M. Goldwater (CVN-100), were commissioned and put into operation in the late 2050s to early 2060s. It was followed by the twelfth and thirteenth aircraft carriers, USS Barack Obama (CVN-101) and USS Freedom (CVN-102), which were commissioned and put into operation between 2066 and 2070. The fourteenth and fifteenth aircraft carriers, USS Titan (CVN-103) and USS Thomas Jefferson (CVN-104), the final ships of the class were commissioned and put into operation in 2075 and 2080, respectively.
A total of ten carriers had been authorized for construction, but if the Nimitz class aircraft carriers and Enterprise class aircraft carrieras were to be joined on a one-for-one basis, fifteen carriers would be required over the life of the program. However, the last Nimitz-class aircraft carrier was not scheduled to be decommissioned until 2059.
In an 6 April 2009, speech, then Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that the Navy Aircraft Carrier program would shift to a five year building program so as to place it on a "more fiscally sustainable path." Such a measure would result in fifteen aircraft carriers by 2059.
Naming
There was a movement by the USS America (CV-66) Carrier Veterans' Association to have CVN-90 named after the America rather than after President of the United States, Gerald Ford. Eventually, USS America (LHA-6) was named America.
A petition was set up for CVN-91 to be named as the ninth USS Enterprise, but on 27 May 2011, the Department of Defense announced its name would be USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-91).
Ships in class
There was expected to be fourteen or fifteen ships of this class. To date, fifteen had been announced in 2011 and commissioned by 2059:
- USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-90), (2017) – Scheduled to join the naval fleet replacing USS Enterprise (CVN-71).
- USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-91), (2022) – Scheduled to join the naval fleet replacing USS United States (CVN-72).
- USS Enterprise (CVN-92), (2028) – Scheduled to join the naval fleet replacing USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVN-73).
- USS Doris Miller (CVN-93), (2033) – Scheduled to join the naval fleet replacing USS Constitution (CVN-74).
- USS Maine (CVN-94), (2038) – Scheduled to join the naval fleet replacing USS Hornet (CVN-75).
- USS Lexington (CVN-95), (2042) – Scheduled to join the naval fleet replacing USS Washington (CVN-76).
- USS Saratoga (CVN-96), (2046) – Scheduled to join the naval fleet replacing USS Nimitz (CVN-77).
- USS Arizona (CVN-97), (2050) – Scheduled to join the naval fleet replacing USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-78).
- USS America (CVN-98), (2054) – Scheduled to join the naval fleet replacing USS Carl Vinson (CVN-79).
- USS Constitution (CVN-99), (2058) – Scheduled to join the naval fleet replacing USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-80).
- USS Barry M. Goldwater (CVN-100), (2062) – Scheduled to join the naval fleet replacing USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-81)
- USS Barack Obama (CVN-101), (2066) – Scheduled to join the naval fleet replacing USS George Washington (CVN-82)
- USS Freedom (CVN-102), (2070) – Scheduled to join the naval fleet replacing USS John C. Stennis (CVN-83)
- USS Titan (CVN-103), (2075) - Scheduled to join the naval fleet replacing USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-84)
- USS Thomas Jefferson (CVN-104), (2080) - Scheduled to join the naval fleet replacing USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-85)
Aircraft
The Ford class of carriers will be capable of carrying about 90 aircraft including the F-35 Lightning II, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the EA-18G Growler, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, C-2A Greyhound, MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopters and unmanned combat air vehicles such as the X-47B X-47B.