Modernized Ford-class Carrier War Ready After Surviving Shock Trials & Setbacks

Video Above: USS Ford Powers Though Shock Trial Bombs. Is Ready for War

By Kris Osborn – Warrior Maven

What was once an ambitious plan to architect a new fleet of US Navy Aircraft carriers able to propel US maritime dominance into the 21st century, is now a reality as the first Ford-class carrier will go to war later this year. 

Ford-class Carrier

Intended to replace the retiring Nimitz-class carriers on a one-for-one basis for the rest of this century and beyond, the Ford-class carriers have been taking shape through a series of milestones and breakthroughs.

“As the Ford is integrated into fleet operations over the summer. We’ll continue to roll all these lessons learned into the follow-on ships. John F Kennedy’s about 85% complete on track to deliver in 2024. The Enterprise is 15-percent complete and the shipyard is building several keel units. This Spring those units will be set in drydock,” Capt. Brian Metcalf, Program Manager, Ford-class Carriers, told an audience at the 2022 Sea Air Space Symposium.

While the essential structure and framework of the Ford class will remain consistent as successive ships emerge, the carriers are built with the technical infrastructure to accommodate ongoing upgrades. For example, the USS Kennedy will be built to operate the first of its kind Navy F-35C 5th-generation stealth fighter. Deploying the F-35C will mark the first time a stealth aircraft will deploy on an aircraft carrier.

The ship’s will also receive upgraded radar systems tailored to address the threat envelope specific to aircraft carriers. The Kennedy, for instance, will receive the Enterprise Air and Surveillance Radar (EASR) system which introduces a new level of detection sensitivity and layered defenses for the carriers. The Ford’s massive increase in on-board electrical power will not only sustain electrical systems such as computing, command and control and sensors but also lay the technological foundation for the integration of new generations of advanced weapons systems such as lasers and EW applications.