USS Gerald R. Ford underway in April 2017 | |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier |
Builders | Newport News Shipbuilding |
Operators | ![]() |
Preceded by | |
Cost | |
In service | 2017–present |
Planned | 10[2][3] |
On order | 1 |
Building | 2 |
Completed | 1 |
Active | 1 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Aircraft carrier |
Displacement | About 100,000 long tons (100,000 tonnes) (full load)[5] |
Length | 1,092 ft (333 m)[6] – 1,106 ft (337 m)[7] |
Beam | |
Height | 250 feet (76 m)[4] |
Draft | 39 ft (12 m)[9] |
Decks | 25 |
Installed power | Two Bechtel A1B PWR nuclear reactors, HEU 93.5%[13][14] |
Propulsion | Four shafts |
Speed | In excess of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)[6] |
Range | Unlimited |
Endurance | 50-year service life |
Complement |
|
Crew | About 2,600[10] |
Sensors and processing systems |
|
Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
Armament |
|
Aircraft carried | 75+[8] |
Aviation facilities | 1,092 ft × 252 ft (333 m × 77 m) flight deck |
The Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are currently being constructed for the United States Navy, which intends to eventually acquire ten of these ships in order to replace current carriers on a one-for-one basis, starting with the lead ship of her class, Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), replacing Enterprise (CVN-65), and later the Nimitz-class carriers. The new vessels have a hull similar to the Nimitz class, but they carry technologies since developed with the CVN(X)/CVN-21 program,[N 1] such as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), as well as other design features intended to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs, including sailing with smaller crews.[15] This class of aircraft carriers is named after former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford.[16] CVN-78 was procured in 2008 and commissioned into service on 22 July 2017. The second ship of the class, John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), is scheduled to enter service in 2025.
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