Latest news with #CVN79
Forbes
09-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
U.S. Navy To Make Do With 10 Flattops As Latest Carrier Running Late
The U.S. Navy's oldest aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is on what is likely her final deployment and her ... More replacement is now running two years behind schedule. (Photo by South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty Images) The future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) is now expected to join the fleet in March 2027, nearly two years later than the previously scheduled date. The second Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered supercarrier was scheduled to have a delivery date of July 2025, but the handover was pushed back to March 2027. The delay is attributed to issues with the Advanced Arresting Gear and Advanced Weapons Elevator, two critical systems on the warship. The carrier's prime contractor, Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding, explained that there have been challenges in implementing improvements to those systems with USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78). "Specifically, John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) construction was fairly advanced when many Ford lessons were realized, precluding timely implementation of lessons learned for Kennedy," HII spokesperson Todd Corillo said in a statement to the media. This is the most recent delay for CVN-79, as the carrier previously had an expected delivery date of June 2024, but that was pushed back two years ago. The only good news is that the most recent delays shouldn't further impact the next two Ford-class flattops. "In contrast, Enterprise (CVN-80) and Doris Miller (CVN-81) have been able to incorporate, leverage and capitalize on Ford lessons learned earlier in the construction process," Corillo added. That sugarcoats the fact that CVN-80 had seen its delivery date shifted from September 2029 to July 2030. This resulted from supply chain issues and limited material availability. The lead vessel of the new class of supercarriers, USS Gerald R. Ford, had run about two years behind schedule, but then faced further delays as numerous systems were far from combat-ready. That resulted in initial delays with the USS John F. Kennedy, but problems persist. One Fewer Flattop In Service In the long run, these delays may help HII and even the United States Navy streamline the construction process with this newest class of nuclear-powered supercarriers. Yet, the bigger issue is that the delay will cause some severe near-term headaches for the U.S. Navy. Its oldest nuclear-powered carrier, USS Nimitz (CVN-68), is scheduled to be retired next May. That will reduce the number of carriers in service on paper, but in practice, the situation may be even more dire. USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) is currently undergoing her Refueling and Complex Overhaul, which was initially scheduled to be completed next month. The RCOH is now running at least 14 months behind schedule, and although it will extend the service life of the carrier by 25 years, CVN-74 won't return to service until October 2026 at the earliest. Then there is the fact that the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) is preparing to begin the same process, which could mean that next year, two carriers are sidelined, while one is taken out of service entirely. "The news of yet another potential delay to the next Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier lands at a precarious moment for the U.S. Navy, and not simply because of a production timeline," explained geopolitical analyst Irina Tsukerman, president of threat assessment firm Scarab Rising. She said it underscores a more profound strategic vulnerability, one of overreliance on aging leviathans and an industrial base increasingly outpaced by geopolitical necessity. "With the USS Nimitz approaching retirement and already deployed in a high-tension theater, the Navy faces a narrowing operational margin at precisely the wrong time," warned Tsukerman. Rotating Carriers To Multiple Hotspots USS Nimitz is now operating in the Red Sea to deter further aggression from Iran and its regional proxies. It isn't alone, as USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) has been in the Middle Eastern waters since early this spring, relieving CVN-75, which had been deployed to the region last November. The U.S. Navy has rotated multiple carriers to the region. Still, it has also left much of the Indo-Pacific without a carrier on station, even as China has continued to rattle sabers by deploying its two conventionally-powered flattops further into the Pacific. Tsukerman said that the U.S. Navy's growing dependency on a handful of nuclear-powered flattops reflects a kind of strategic inertia. "These ships project overwhelming force and remain indispensable to U.S. power projection, but they are also complex behemoths tethered to an industrial process that is slow, expensive, and prone to disruption," Tsukerman added. "A 20-month delay is not just a schedule slip. It is a signal flare for adversaries and an indictment of a procurement strategy that concentrates capability into a brittle few." She further compared the U.S. Navy's ability to juggle its limited carrier resources to a house of cards, as in it is "visually impressive but easily compromised." Every nuclear-powered supercarrier that is in maintenance following an extended deployment or undergoing a lengthier RCOH represents a void in the sea service's forward presence. That void is increasing measured in years, not weeks. "Operational tempo strains personnel and ships alike, while carrier availability often resembles a shell game: a high-stakes maneuver to maintain appearances without the necessary depth of capacity," Tsukerman noted. "This imbalance exposes critical seams in U.S. naval readiness, particularly in an era when pacing threats are growing more sophisticated and opportunistic." The Cost Of Power Projection It remains true that nothing can do what a carrier can do, notably in terms of moving a vast number of aircraft and personnel to hotspots. However, the most significant selling point of a nuclear-powered carrier is increasingly its greatest weakness. It may have unlimited range and endurance, but it is still dependent on a supply of food, water, and crucially, aviation fuel. Last September, that became crystal clear when the USNS Big Horn, a key oiler, ran aground and partially flooded off the coast of Oman. It briefly left the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group without its primary fuel source, exposing a significant vulnerability in the U.S. Navy's reliance on aging oilers. Moreover, China has put great effort into developing its so-called "Carrier Killer" intermediate-range ballistic missiles and, more ominously, hypersonic missiles. Such weapons raise questions about whether the U.S. should be building such massive carriers at all. "The cost-benefit calculation for these ships has shifted," said Tsukerman. "Once a cornerstone of deterrence, their price tag now invites hard questions. Are they still the most agile answer to modern threats? Or have they become gilded symbols of a bygone era, perpetually behind schedule and vulnerable to both budgetary politics and technological disruption?" It isn't just the missiles that could strike a carrier; surface and underwater drones could also pose another threat, while satellite targeting has significantly narrowed the operational sanctuary these vessels once enjoyed. "None of this renders carriers obsolete," suggested Tsukerman. "Rather, it demands a doctrinal recalibration. The U.S. Navy cannot afford to tether its global posture to a few slow-turning ships. Diversification, in platforms, propulsion, and deployment models, is no longer a theoretical consideration. It is a strategic imperative. Without it, America risks being outmaneuvered not by lack of will or ingenuity, but by its ponderous designs."
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The US Navy is still grappling with elevator problems on its new Ford-class supercarriers
The US Navy's next aircraft carrier is almost finished but faces challenges with its elevators, among other technology. The advanced weapons elevators were previously an issue on the first-in-class USS Gerald R. Ford. Navy officials suggested in written testimony to Congress that they could affect the new USS John F. Kennedy. The US Navy next Ford-class aircraft carrier is just about done, but it could be held up by challenges with the elevators, Navy officers and officials said this week. It's a bit of déjà vu. The same technology was at the center of headaches for USS Gerald R. Ford, the first of the new class of Navy supercarriers, and now the elevators are a challenge as shipbuilders work to finish the next ship in the class. "The John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) is nearly 95% construction complete and has a contract delivery date of July 2025," Navy officials said in a joint statement before the Senate Armed Services Committee seapower subcommittee's hearing on the state of nuclear shipbuilding on Tuesday. "However, we assess that significant pressure to that date." The officials cited issues with some of the CVN 79's technologies, namely the advanced weapons elevators and aircraft launch and recovery systems. They said the pressure to meet the contractual delivery date is driven by "critical path challenges, primarily in the Advanced Weapons Elevators and Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment." The officials added that while "initial class design challenges are resolved," some of the "early class production-focused challenges and associated learning continue on CVN 79." The Advanced Weapons Elevators with electromagnetic motors, Advanced Arresting Gear, and Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System were issues during the development and construction of the first-in-class USS Gerald R. Ford, which faced delays and cost overruns mostly attributed to integration issues surrounding new systems and capabilities. The elevators on the Ford, for example, weren't installed when the carrier was delivered in May 2017, well beyond the original 2015 delivery goal. The first of 11 weapons elevators arrived in December 2018. The Navy secretary at the time, Richard Spencer, staked his job on fixing the Ford elevators in early 2019, but the problem persisted beyond the deadline. In January 2020, then-acting secretary Thomas Modly said that the issue had been "sort of a disaster" but noted the service was "getting after the problem." In their joint statement on Tuesday, Navy officials highlighted successful USS Gerald R. Ford deployments, indicating that the issue is in production, not design at this stage. They added that the lessons learned are being implemented on CVN 80 and 81. The Navy didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's query about the specific problems with the weapons elevators and potential delays to CVN 79's delivery. The Ford class' elevators are controlled by electromagnetic, linear synchronous motors, which effectively allow them to move faster and carry more ordnance. Nimitz-class carriers have weapons elevators that use pulleys and cables and can carry 10,500 pounds at 100 feet a minute. The Ford's, on the other hand, can carry up to 24,000 pounds at 150 feet per minute. Among the other new technologies on the Ford class, the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, is also an upgrade, over the steam catapults on the Nimitz-class carriers. The system is designed for faster sorties of heavier aircraft but the technology saw questionable performance, as did the new advanced arresting gear for aircraft recovery. The inclusion of the elevators and EMALS was paired with overall ship layout changes as well. President Donald Trump has previously been critical of both the catapults and the weapons elevators on the Ford, expressing concern about the use of magnets in the advanced technology. The Navy officials who testified before Congress Tuesday said the "Navy and shipbuilder HII-NNS are hyper-focused on a CVN 79 delivery plan that results in the fastest path to a combat ready CVN, crew, and air wing." Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
HII Names Derek Murphy as Vice President of New Construction Aircraft Carriers at Newport News Shipbuilding
NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Jan. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE: HII) announced today that Derek Murphy has been promoted to vice president of new construction aircraft carriers at its Newport News Shipbuilding division. In his new role, Murphy will have responsibility for all new construction aircraft carriers in production at the shipyard, including John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), Enterprise (CVN 80) and Doris Miller (CVN 81). 'Derek brings extensive experience from his time in the Navy and both HII shipyards to his new role,' NNS President Kari Wilkinson said. 'I am confident in his steadfast commitment to our shipbuilders and the successful delivery of capability to the United States Navy.' Starting his career with the company in 2002, prior to the HII spin-off from Northrop Grumman, Murphy served as an aviation program manager as part of the EA-6B and EA-18G programs. In 2007, he joined the Ingalls Shipbuilding division, where he held positions of increasing responsibility supporting the Mississippi shipyard's portfolio. In 2020, he joined the Newport News Shipbuilding division, where he has served as program director on John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), responsible for all aspects of construction. A photo accompanying this release is available at: Murphy is a U.S. Navy veteran with 20 years of operational experience as a naval flight officer for carrier-based A-6E Intruder and EA-6B Prowler aircraft. He holds a bachelor's degree from Villanova University and an MBA from Eastern Michigan University. About HII HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HII's mission is to deliver the world's most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world. As the nation's largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII's workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit: HII on the web: HII on Facebook: HII on X: HII on Instagram: Contact: Todd 688-3220 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at in to access your portfolio
