The US Navy is soon expected to take delivery of a 100,000-ton aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78). This vessel is likley to replace the Nimitz-class carriers and is reported to be delivered to the US Navy in April 2017, following the necessary sea trials.
Read: Tomahawk cruise missiles: New US Navy tests show ability to engage time-sensitive targets
The delivery has been delayed after an issue with the power distribution which had to be fixed. Although around 93 per cent of the carrier's tests has been completed, further tests will be required before it goes to the sea trials.
"From last summer, frankly, to the end of the year in 2016, there was a very intense effort to solve the technical [problems], to test out the technical fixes, implement the technical fixes and then get back on track with completing that portion of the test programme," Sean Stackley, acquisition executive, US Navy, said, as per a Defense News report.
Apart from the similarity in the hull, USS Gerald R Ford will greatly differ from the Nimitz-class carriers as it will incorporate new technologies, including the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMEALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG). These new technologies are expected to boost its efficiency and trim down the operating costs.
The USS Gerald R Ford could also have stealth features that help reduce the radar cross-section. It will also feature A1B reactor plant, a nuclear reactor that will provide electrical and propulsion energy for the huge warship.
It will also have the ability to carry up to 90 aircraft including the F-35C. The ship will not only have modern equipment but also a high level of automation, reducing the necessity of a bigger crew.
Overall, the Ford-class carriers are expected to do 25 per cent more sorties than their predecessors.
The construction of this supercruiser began in August 2005 at Newport News Shipbuilding, in Newport News, Virginia.
Once the sea trials are completed, the navy will be making its own necessary modifications to the ship.
The report noted that this will be first carrier with systems on board. Stackley noted that with 99.5 per cent EMALS testing being complete, the focus is now on the AAG system, in which only 70 per cent of the testing has been completed.
The launch and recovery of the aircraft testing is expected to take place in the second phase, which will be in the summer, after it is delivered to the navy.
Meanwhile, the navy is conducting land-based tests for aircraft-recovery bulletins using live aircraft with both EMALS and AAG.
