Ready
for the 21st Century
Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is the first new design for an aircraft carrier since USS Nimitz (CVN 68).
Aircraft Carrier Background
The aircraft carrier, with its embarked carrier air wing, is a preeminent asset for maintenance of maritime superiority across the oceans of the globe. History has time and again shown the invaluable benefits of having the capability to bring decisive air power to bear from the sea. The aircraft carrier, combined with the ships in an accompanying carrier strike group, is capable of carrying out missions across the full spectrum of military operations, ranging from large-scale combat operations to deterrence to humanitarian assistance. Aircraft carriers are flexible and adaptable, and, by design, thanks to their size and weight, they can generate a large number of aircraft sorties to deliver the payloads necessary for the achievement of various desired outcomes in furtherance of national military objectives. Built on the legacy of both today’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriers and the investments the U.S. Navy has made since World War II, the Ford-class carrier will be the most advanced ship on the sea, ensuring that the Navy remains a ready and resilient force for the future.
Introducing Gerald R. Ford Class
For more than 40 years, Nimitz-class carriers have played the first-responder role in crises and conflicts. The delivery of CVN 77 in 2009 provided continued proof of the viability of the early-’60s design of the Nimitz-class carriers; these ships have served the nation well, and will continue to do so in the coming decades. Ford-class ships will begin to succeed those of the Nimitz class when Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is commissioned. While the aircraft carrier’s basic mission will remain unchanged, Ford-class ships will deliver greater lethality, survivability, and joint interoperability, along with unmatched versatility and compatibility with continuing joint-force transformation – all at a reduced operating and maintenance cost to taxpayers. Ford will be capable of carrying the Navy’s most advanced aircraft, such as the F-35C Lightning II; F/A-18E/F Super Hornet; E-2D Advanced Hawkeye; EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft; MH-60R/S helicopters and unmanned air vehicles. Adding to its versatility, Ford will also be able to recover and launch various Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft flown by the United States Marine Corps. Finally, the design margins built into the ship will allow for integration of future manned and unmanned aircraft with minimal ship alterations.
Gerald R. Ford Class Ship Facts
The Ford class incorporates advancements in technology that make the carrier more capable and more efficient, while also providing it with the ability to implement future advancements in technology with relative ease. With increased capability and reduced total-ownership costs – through, e.g., manpower reductions and innovations, such as greater electrical production from the nuclear power plant, the use of fiber-optic networks, improved corrosion control, and the use of new, lightweight materials – CVN 78 and future Ford-class carriers package increased warfighting capability and enhanced survivability in a platform that will keep pace with the threat through the course of the 21st century.
Specifically:
-
The Island on CVN 78 is smaller and further aft than that of previous carriers, increasing space for flight-deck operations and aircraft maintenance, thus enabling the ship and air wing to launch more aircraft sorties per day.
-
CVN 78 has replaced legacy steam‐powered systems with electric-drive components. With three times the electrical-generation capacity of any previous carrier, the ship is readily susceptible of future modernization with new and emerging technologies throughout its 50-year service life.
-
A Longer time between maintenance availabilities allows for increased steaming days over the life of the ship.
-
Its Improved Survivability includes improvements in hull design, firefighting systems, and weapons stowage.
-
Improved Weapons And Material Handling are provided by the Advanced Weapons Elevators, which provide faster movement of ordnance from magazines to aircraft.
-
Ford-class aircraft carriers include new and innovative technologies to launch and recover (land) aircraft.
-
-
-
The Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) system provides Ford-class ships with the ability to recover both current and projected carrier-based, tailhook-equipped aircraft, and is the follow-on system to the Mark-7 system of the Nimitz class.
-
AAG allows for the recovery of a broader range of aircraft and, through its greater control, reduces the fatigue-impact load on the recovered platforms.
-
The AAG architecture includes built-in test and diagnostic technologies.
-
Ford-class carriers include Quality of Life enhancements, such as improved berthing compartments, better gyms, and more ergonomic work spaces.