Navy

At Long Last, Supercarrier Gerald R. Ford Delivered to the Navy

The Ford is the first new carrier for the service since the last of 10 Nimitz-class carriers, the George H. W. Bush, was commissioned in 2009. The Ford class is similar in size to the Nimitz class, but features a better-designed deck with a smaller island and fewer elevators, in order to accommodate more aircraft.

Several elements of brand-new technology, including the first-of-its-kind electromagnetic aircraft launch system, or EMALS, and advanced arresting gear, have contributed to now-infamous testing delays and budget overruns for the carrier.

The Ford was initially expected to be delivered in 2014, and more recently projected for delivery in early 2016. But that timeline slipped over the months with testing delays and concerns from the Pentagon’s weapons testing office that the new technology aboard the ship was not mature enough to fight with.

The carrier’s new technology, particularly its EMALS catapult system, entered the news again recently after President Donald Trump said in a Time magazine interview that he wanted to return to the legacy steam catapult system, saying the new technology is too expensive and doesn’t work well.