Latest news with #ToddCorillo
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
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Navy's carrier fleet faces temporary reduction through 2027 as new ships hit development snags
The U.S. Navy will drop from 11 to 10 aircraft carriers for about a year once the USS Nimitz is decommissioned next year, as recent budget documents show a new carrier will be delayed from its original delivery date. According to the Department of Defense Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget estimates, Newport News Shipbuilders was expected to deliver the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) to the Navy by July 2025, but that has since shifted to March 2027. "The CVN 79 delivery date shifted from July 2025 to March 2027 (preliminary acceptance TBD) to support completion of Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) certification and continued Advanced Weapons Elevator (AWE) work," FY 2026 shipbuilding budget book reads. Both the Advanced Arresting Gear certification and Advanced Weapons Elevator work are systems that were incorporated into the Ford class carriers. Inside America's 6Th-gen Arsenal: B-21, F-47, And The Future Of Air Dominance HII's Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia told USNI News that it is taking lessons learned and applying them with the new ships in its class. Read On The Fox News App "Specifically, John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) construction was fairly advanced when many Ford lessons were realized, precluding timely implementation of lessons learned for Kennedy," Todd Corillo, HII company spokesperson, told the publication. "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." Also being shifted was the delivery of the USS Enterprise (CVN-80), which was expected to be delivered in September 2029, but has since been pushed back to July 2030. Uss Nimitz Carrier Strike Group Sailing Toward Middle East Ahead Of Schedule, Us Official Says "The CVN 80 delivery date shifted from September 2029 to July 203 due to delays in material availability and industry/supply chain performance," the document's footnotes read. USNI reported that the Navy originally planned to pursue a dual-phase delivery approach for the Kennedy but has since switched to a single-phase delivery, which added two additional years of work to the vessel's design and construction contract. Under the new plans, the Kennedy would be outfitted to handle the fifth-generation F-35C Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II and be outfitted with the new Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar, USNI reported. Second Navy Fighter Jet Goes Overboard From Truman Aircraft Carrier, Pilots Ejected Officials originally thought the dual-phase approach would save the Navy money when it came to construction costs and by minimizing the downtime between the Nimitz decommissioning and Kennedy delivery. These delays come as the USS Nimitz prepares to be decommissioned. Commissioned on May 3, 1975, the Nimitz is the oldest active aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy. It is currently on its final sea voyage in the Middle East, as the Nimitz is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2026. The deployment is significant because the Nimitz was also deployed in 1980 when its helicopters were part of the failed U.S. effort known as Operation Eagle Claw to rescue the American hostages being held at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. The U.S. has been in a shadow war against Iran ever since. Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace contributed to this article source: Navy's carrier fleet faces temporary reduction through 2027 as new ships hit development snags
Fox News
07-07-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Navy's carrier fleet faces temporary reduction through 2027 as new ships hit development snags
The U.S. Navy will drop from 11 to 10 aircraft carriers for about a year once the USS Nimitz is decommissioned next year, as recent budget documents show a new carrier will be delayed from its original delivery date. According to the Department of Defense Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget estimates, Newport News Shipbuilders was expected to deliver the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) to the Navy by July 2025, but that has since shifted to March 2027. "The CVN 79 delivery date shifted from July 2025 to March 2027 (preliminary acceptance TBD) to support completion of Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) certification and continued Advanced Weapons Elevator (AWE) work," FY 2026 shipbuilding budget book reads. Both the Advanced Arresting Gear certification and Advanced Weapons Elevator work are systems that were incorporated into the Ford class carriers. HII's Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia told USNI News that it is taking lessons learned and applying them with the new ships in its class. "Specifically, John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) construction was fairly advanced when many Ford lessons were realized, precluding timely implementation of lessons learned for Kennedy," Todd Corillo, HII company spokesperson, told the publication. "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." Also being shifted was the delivery of the USS Enterprise (CVN-80), which was expected to be delivered in September 2029, but has since been pushed back to July 2030. "The CVN 80 delivery date shifted from September 2029 to July 203 due to delays in material availability and industry/supply chain performance," the document's footnotes read. USNI reported that the Navy originally planned to pursue a dual-phase delivery approach for the Kennedy but has since switched to a single-phase delivery, which added two additional years of work to the vessel's design and construction contract. Under the new plans, the Kennedy would be outfitted to handle the fifth-generation F-35C Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II and be outfitted with the new Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar, USNI reported. Officials originally thought the dual-phase approach would save the Navy money when it came to construction costs and by minimizing the downtime between the Nimitz decommissioning and Kennedy delivery. These delays come as the USS Nimitz prepares to be decommissioned. Commissioned on May 3, 1975, the Nimitz is the oldest active aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy. It is currently on its final sea voyage in the Middle East, as the Nimitz is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2026. The deployment is significant because the Nimitz was also deployed in 1980 when its helicopters were part of the failed U.S. effort known as Operation Eagle Claw to rescue the American hostages being held at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. The U.S. has been in a shadow war against Iran ever since.
Associated Press
04-03-2025
- Automotive
- Associated Press
HII Installs First Additively Manufactured Valve Manifold Assembly on Aircraft Carrier at Newport News Shipbuilding
NEWPORT NEWS, Va., March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE: HII) announced today that shipbuilders at its Newport News Shipbuilding division have successfully installed the first valve manifold assembly created by additive manufacturing technology on a new construction aircraft carrier. NNS continues to integrate additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, into the shipbuilding process. The use of certified 3D-printed parts has the potential to accelerate construction and delivery of vessels to the U.S. Navy by cutting lead times and improving manufacturing quality for critical components. The valve manifold assembly, a specialized assembly that allows distribution of a single source of fluid to multiple points on the ship, is installed in a pump room on Gerald R. Ford -class aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN 80). The assembly, which is approximately 5 feet long and 1,000 pounds, reflects the shipyard's pursuit of all opportunities to support construction using additive manufacturing. NNS collaborated with DM3D Technology to manufacture the manifold body. With the completion of this evolution on Enterprise (CVN 80), similar manifolds planned for Doris Miller (CVN 81) will employ additive manufacturing rather than traditional casting methods, reducing schedule risk and improving efficiency. Photos accompanying this release are available at: . 'What started as a proof of concept quickly turned into a tangible result that is making a meaningful difference to improve efficiencies in shipbuilding,' said Dave Bolcar, NNS vice president of engineering and design. 'The benefits of this innovation will extend well beyond Enterprise (CVN 80), as we incorporate our expertise in additive manufacturing into the fundamentals of shipbuilding.' This latest advancement in the development and deployment of additive manufacturing builds on NNS' prior certification and approval as a supplier for additive manufacturing components on Naval Sea Systems (NAVSEA) platforms. To date, the shipyard has created more than 55 additively manufactured parts installed on both new construction vessels and those currently in the fleet, with plans to install more than 200 additional parts this year. 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: Contact: Todd Corillo (757) 688-3220 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
