By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
A recently published Navy photograph of the USS Ford on deployment in the Mediterranean refers to the ship as the “largest carrier in the world,” a significant statement which arguably captures the long-sought after Navy sentiment that the Ford class will ultimately usher in a new era in modern maritime warfare.
The photo does indeed show the large-deck USS Ford, which some have enthusiastically called a “super carrier,” as the ship does enable a 33-percent increase in aircraft sortie rate by virtue of having a much larger deck area and reconfigured island. By steaming through the Mediterranean with Hellenic warships, the USS Ford not only sends a message of NATO capacity and interoperability but also signals to the world that the US Navy’s Ford-class carriers are “here.”
The USS Ford is operating on deployment in support of the US Navy’s 6th-Fleet Command, a division which oversees US Naval activity in many parts of Europe. Interestingly, however, by operating in Mediterranean waters near Greece, the USS Ford places itself with an ability to project power into critical parts of the Middle East and even the Black Sea.
The largest and potentially most relevant element of this likely pertains to networking, meaning the extent to which the USS Ford and its supporting US Navy ships can share sensor data and real-time information with the Hellenic vessels.
USS Ford is HERE
The operational arrival of the USS Ford is not a moment to soon, as the Navy process was arduous, challenged by delays and heavily criticized by members of Congress for being over cost. Nevertheless, despite the vicissitudes and struggles associated with its development, the Ford is now operational with an unprecedented measure of next-generation maritime warfare technologies.
Years ago, Navy developers of the Ford described vigorous efforts to reduce costs and accommodate schedule requirements, while also explaining that as a first-in-class carrier of a new platform, the Ford will incorporate non-recurring engineering and development costs. The Navy also stressed that the increased computer automation means the carrier can operate with 900-fewer crew members than Nimitz carriers and use technological advancement to save as much as $4 billion per ship over the entire service life of Ford carriers. This is to a large extent made possible by breakthroughs in computing which enable mechanical systems to be monitored, regulated and maintained through critical metrics gathered and analyzed automatically by advanced computer algorithms. The reduction in manpower through automation to monitor and maintain ship systems enables the service to save money.
There were also delays with the Ford’s breakthrough electronic elevators, systems which are now fully operational and functional. The presence of this technology is also defining, as it enables massive, fast re-arming and re-fueling of fighter jets, decreasing down-time in between air attack missions. This technical step forward also supports the higher, faster, sortie rate and op-tempo enabled by the larger flight deck.
All of this support what is arguably the largest technological step forward with the USS Ford, and that is the Electro-Magnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS). In development for many years and now operational, the EMALS launched aircraft by using a rolling magnetic field to propel the fighter from the flight deck, yet smoother and steadier than steam catapults. There are many advantages to electromagnetic catapult as it enables a smoother take-off, causing much less wear and tear on the airframes, something which extends service life. EMALS is also much faster, meaning multiple aircraft can take off in rapid succession, something which support the USS Ford’s high-optempo and increased sortie rate. The system is enabled by four on-board megawatt generators powering the entire ship with new levels of e
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University
