By Tony Capaccio (Bloomberg) -- The Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy’s costliest warship, suffered a new failure at sea that forced it back to port and raised fresh questions about the new class of aircraft carriers. The previously undisclosed problem with a propulsion system bearing, which occurred in January but has yet to be remedied, comes as the Navy is poised to … [Read more...]
Navy Backs Down On Carrier Shock-Testing
By Anthony Capaccio (Bloomberg) The Pentagon’s No. 2 civilian has said the Navy should perform shock-testing soon to determine how well its new $12.9 billion aircraft carrier -- the costliest warship ever -- could withstand an attack, affirming the service’s recent decision to back down from a plan for delay. “We agree with your view that a test in normal sequence is more … [Read more...]
U.S. Navy to Commission USS Gerald R. Ford, Its First New Aircraft Carrier Design in 40 Years
The U.S. Navy is getting ready to commission its newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), during a ceremony this Saturday at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia. USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is the lead ship of the new Gerald R. Ford class, the Navy's first new aircraft carrier design in more than 40 years, and will begin the phased … [Read more...]
Aircraft Carrier Trump Will Celebrate Still Needs Lots of Work
By Tony Capaccio (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump is scheduled to preside over the commissioning this week of the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, the Gerald R. Ford, even though it won’t be ready for its first combat deployment for at least four years, according to congressional auditors. The $12.9 billion carrier, designated CVN-78, was delivered in May “with a … [Read more...]
U.S. Navy’s New $13 Billion Aircraft Carrier Struggles to Fly and Land Planes
By Tony Capaccio (Bloomberg) -- The newest and costliest U.S. aircraft carrier, praised by President Donald Trump and delivered to the Navy on May 31 with fanfare, has been dogged by trouble with fundamentals: launching jets from its deck and catching them when they land. Now, it turns out that the system used to capture jets landing on the USS Gerald R. Ford ballooned in … [Read more...]