CVN 78 Gerald R. Ford Class Nuclear Aircraft Carrier
The United States Navy is currently building a class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers known as the Gerald R. Ford class. The class, which is expected to consist of 10 ships, would eventually replace the present Nimitz-class carriers in a one-for-one replacement of the Navy's carriers, commencing with the lead ship, Gerald R. Ford, which will replace Enterprise (CVN-65). The new ships have a hull that is similar to the Nimitz-class but add technologies that have since been developed with the CVN(X)/CVN-21 program, such as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), along with other design elements that are meant to increase efficiency and lower operating costs, such as sailing with smaller crews. Former US President Gerald R. Ford is honored with the name of this class of aircraft carriers. The class's first ship, CVN-78, was ordered in 2008 and put into service on July 22, 2017. John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), the second ship in the class, is scheduled to enter service in 2024.
The first ship in the class, CVN-78 Gerald R. Ford, saw its construction formally start on August 11, 2005, when Northrop Grumman staged a ceremonial steel cut for a 15-ton plate that would be a section of the carrier's side shell unit. However, actual work didn't start until early 2007. The carrier was manufactured at Newport News Shipbuilding, a branch of Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News, Virginia. The only shipyard in the US capable of producing nuclear-powered aircraft carriers is this one. Gerald R. Ford was predicted to cost at least $13 billion in 2005: $8 billion for construction and $5 billion for research and development. The estimate was increased to $14 billion in a 2009 report, which also included $9 billion for construction. The Center for New American Security estimated that a carrier strike group's life-cycle cost per operating day (including aircraft) was $6.5 million in 2013.
Three carriers in all were initially approved for construction, but if the Enterprise and Nimitz-class carriers were to be replaced one for one, 11 carriers would be needed during the course of the program. In 2058, the final aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class will be retired. Defense Secretary Robert Gates declared in a speech on April 6, 2009, that each Gerald R. Ford-class carrier would be constructed over a five-year period, resulting in a "more economically sustainable course" and a 10-carrier fleet by 2040. When Navy Secretary Ray Mabus approved a force structure assessment in December 2016 that called for a 355-ship fleet with 12 aircraft carriers, things changed. If adopted, this policy would mandate that each carrier of the Gerald R. Ford class be constructed within three to four years.
Cost per unit: $2.8 billion
