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Gerald R. Ford Class (CVN-78) Aircraft Carrier
also known as CVNX & CVN-21 carrier program
 
 
 
The Gerald R. Ford class is the future aircraft carrier replacement class for USS Enterprise and the Nimitz class aircraft carriers. CVN-78, CVN-79, and CVN-80 are the first three ships in this U.S. Navy’s new class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs). First of class Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) was ordered from Newport News Shipbuilding on Sept. 10, 2008, and is scheduled to be delivered in 2015.
Description

The Gerald R. Ford class is the future aircraft carrier replacement class for USS Enterprise and the Nimitz class aircraft carriers. CVN-78, CVN-79, and CVN-80 are the first three ships in this U.S. Navy’s new class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs). First of class Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) was ordered from Newport News Shipbuilding on Sept. 10, 2008, and is scheduled to be delivered in 2015.

The Gerald R. Ford class will be the premier forward asset for crisis response and early decisive striking power in a major combat operation. Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carriers and carrier strike groups will provide the core capabilities of forward presence, deterrence, sea control, power projection, maritime security and humanitarian assistance. The class brings improved warfighting capability, quality of life improvements for sailors and reduced acquisition and life cycle costs.

 
Shiplist
Name
Hull Number
Laid Down
Commissioned
Homeport
USS Gerald R. Ford
CVN-78
11/2009
2015
Norfolk
USS John F. Kennedy
CVN-79
2013
2020
Everett
USS Enterprise
CVN-80
2018
2025
Norfolk
Variants
- None at this time
Technical Data
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Design
Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is the first new US aircraft carrier design in 40 years, replacing the Nimitz class of carriers. The new design brings many performance improvements, including:
» 25 percent increase in sortie generation rate
» 2.5 times electrical generation capacity over the Nimitz-class
» Manpower reduction of 500 billets

The new carrier class was redesigned from the keel to the mast of the island house. Among the improvements:
» New reactor and propulsion plants
» Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), an improvement over steam catapult system
» New island
» All electric ship
» Major space rearrangement
» Flight deck extensions
» Advanced arresting gear

Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is the U.S. Navy's first aircraft carrier to be completely designed using a 3-dimensional product model.
New Technologies
Among the new technologies in the Ford-class are:
» Dual Band Radar: Enables a smaller island structure on the deck of the carrier, facilitating the ship’s increased sortie generation rate
» Multifunction radar and volume search radar: integrates two radars operating on different frequency bands
» EMALS: Replaces steam catapult. Uses electrically generated, moving magnetic field to propel aircraft to launch speed.
Flight deck changes
» Flight deck: The island is smaller and moved farther aft than on Nimitz class so there is more area for airplane maintenance and flight deck operations will be faster and safer due to better space utilization
» Weapons Elevator: Elevators use moving electromagnetic fields instead of cabling, which allows elevator shaft to use horizontal doors to close off magazines. This reduces manning and maintenance costs.
» Flexible Infrastructure: Flexible infrastructure architecture that allows spaces to be adaptable to rapid changes without the use of “hot work.” It eases compartment reconfiguration to support changing missions, maximizes time for technology development prior to equipment installation, and eliminates cost and schedule impacts associated with the traditional conflicts from re-work.
» Advanced Arresting Gear: Recovers current and future aircraft, is lighter than the legacy system, software controls, reduce manning.
Weapons
  • Anti-air missiles:
    2x RIM-162 ESSM launchers (16 missiles each)
    2x RIM-116 RAM launchers (21 missiles each)
  • Guns:
    2x PHALANX 20mm Close In Weapon Systems (CIWS)
    4x M2 12.7mm Machine Guns
Sensors, Electronics and Decoys
  • Combat Management and Information Systems:
    n/a
  • Optronics:
    n/a
  • Radars and ESM:
    1x Raytheon AN/SPY-3 dual-band radar (DBR)
    1x Multifunction radar & volume search radar
  • Decoys/Counter measures/Jammers:
    n/a
  • Communications:
    Link 11
    Link 16
    Satellite links
Power Generation/Propulsion
Two A1B nuclear reactors
Four Shafts
 
Specifications
Type
Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier
Crew
4,539 Sailors
(ship, air wing and staff)
Operators
United States Navy
Performance
Speed: >30 kts
Range: n/a
Endurance: n/a
Displacement
101,600 tonnes
Aircraft
Capacity for 75+ Aircraft onboard including:
Fixed wing
Rotary wing
UAV
 
Dimensions
 
Length: 333 m
Bream: 77 m (waterline: 41 m)
Maximum Draft: 12 m
 
Detailed View
The Gerald R. Ford class is the future aircraft carrier replacement class for USS Enterprise and the Nimitz class aircraft carriers. CVN-78, CVN-79, and CVN-80 are the first three ships in this U.S. Navy’s new class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs). First of class Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) was ordered from Newport News Shipbuilding on Sept. 10, 2008, and is scheduled to be delivered in 2015.
The Gerald R. Ford class is the future aircraft carrier replacement class for USS Enterprise and the Nimitz class aircraft carriers. CVN-78, CVN-79, and CVN-80 are the first three ships in this U.S. Navy’s new class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs). First of class Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) was ordered from Newport News Shipbuilding on Sept. 10, 2008, and is scheduled to be delivered in 2015.
The Gerald R. Ford class is the future aircraft carrier replacement class for USS Enterprise and the Nimitz class aircraft carriers. CVN-78, CVN-79, and CVN-80 are the first three ships in this U.S. Navy’s new class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs). First of class Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) was ordered from Newport News Shipbuilding on Sept. 10, 2008, and is scheduled to be delivered in 2015.
 
Pictures - Video
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