Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier
_on_the_James_River_in_2013.JPG)
Gerald R. Ford on the James River in November 2013
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Gerald R. Ford–class aircraft carrier |
| Builders: | Newport News Shipbuilding |
| Operators: |
 United States Navy
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| Preceded by: | Nimitz class |
| Cost: |
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| Building: | 1 |
| Planned: | 10 |
| Completed: | 1 (awaiting commissioning) |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Aircraft carrier |
| Displacement: | About 100,000 long tons (110,000 short tons; 100,000 tonnes) (full load) |
| Length: | 1,106 ft (337 m) |
| Beam: |
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| Height: | 250 feet (76 m) |
| Draft: | 39 ft (12 m) |
| Decks: | 25 |
| Installed power: | Two A1B nuclear reactors |
| Propulsion: | Four shafts |
| Speed: | In excess of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
| Range: | Unlimited |
| Endurance: | 50-year service life |
| Complement: |
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| Armament: |
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| Aircraft carried: | 75+ |
| Aviation facilities: | 1,092 ft × 256 ft (333 m × 78 m) flight deck |
Gerald R. Ford class (or Ford class, previously known as CVN-21 class) is a class of supercarriers being built to replace some of the United States Navy's existing Nimitz-class carriers with the delivery of CVN-78, USS Gerald R. Ford. The new vessels have a hull similar to the Nimitz carriers, but introduce technologies since developed such as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, as well as other design features intended to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs, including reduced crew requirement.
Carriers of the Ford class will have:
The US Navy aims to use modern equipment and extensive automation to reduce the crew size and the total cost of future aircraft carriers. The biggest visible difference from earlier supercarriers will be the more aft location of the island. Ships of the Ford class are intended to sustain 160 sorties per day for 30-plus days, with a surge capability of 270 sorties per day. Director of Operational Testing Michael Gilmore has criticized the assumptions used in these forecasts as unrealistic and has indicated sortie rates similar to the 120/240 per day of the Nimitz class would be acceptable.
The current Nimitz-class aircraft carrier which are in US naval service have been part of United States power projection strategy since Nimitz was commissioned in 1975. Displacing about 100,000 tons when fully loaded, a Nimitz-class carrier can steam faster than 30 knots, cruise without resupply for 90 days, and launch aircraft to strike targets hundreds of miles away. The endurance of this class is exemplified by USS Theodore Roosevelt, which spent 159 days underway in support of Operation Enduring Freedom without visiting a port or being refueled.
The Nimitz design has accommodated many new technologies over the decades, but it has limited ability to support the most recent technical advances. As a 2005 Rand report said, "The biggest problems facing the Nimitz class are the limited electrical power generation capability and the upgrade-driven increase in ship weight and erosion of the center-of-gravity margin needed to maintain ship stability."
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Wikipedia