Ruggedized US Navy Nimitz-Class Carriers Will Surge Alongside Ford-Class Into 2050 and Beyond

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

(Washington DC) As the USS Ford aircraft carrier blasts onto the scene for its first deployment, many may be inclined to overlook the future prospects of the still-deployed Nimitz-class carriers.

While going back decades since their inception, Nimitz-class carriers have consistently been upgraded as part of a Navy effort to keep pace with a fast-evolving threat environment. The ships have continued to receive upgraded weapons, improved layered defenses, and key adaptations to accommodate new platforms such as the F-35C.

Precision Landing

One such improvement to Nimitz carriers is a cutting-edge GPS-enabled aircraft carrier landing system called Joint Precision Approach and Landing System.

Navy fighter jets have for decades been skilled in the art of landing a fighter jet on a carrier under enemy fire or in dangerous weather conditions, and JPALs is intended to better enable these efforts by introducing a new measure of precision and guidance technology to pilots landing on moving carriers.

Pilots bank at an almost 90-degree angle before approaching a “glide slope” and maintaining correct accuracy and steadiness as they descend upon a carrier deck watching the fresnel lens guide them to making the correct adjustments.

JPALs is part of a series of enhancements built into the Nimitz class to better accommodate and support the arrival of the F-35C, a first-of-its-kind carrier-launched stealth fighter.

Improving the Nimitz class ability to project power with the F-35C is a critical part of a broader effort to “ruggedize” carriers for a higher-threat maritime warfare environment.