Gerald R. Ford-klasse vliegkampschepen

Gestart door Sparkplug, 22/12/2016 | 14:33 uur


Sparkplug

#42
Up close with the world?s largest warship

NOVEMBER 19, 2022

On 14th November the US Navy?s new aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford arrived in UK waters for her first visit to Europe. The 100,000-ton ship is the largest, most expensive and arguably the most powerful warship ever built. Here we report from onboard about her first operational deployment and now this vessel represents a step change in carrier aviation.


Transformational design

Although externally similar, the Ford-class aircraft carriers are not just an iterative development of the proceeding Nimitz class but a transformational design. 23 separate systems incorporating new technologies have been brought together to create a vessel that will ensure the US Navy maintains its already vast lead in carrier development over any of its global competitors. The decisions made by President George W. Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to go for such a cutting-edge option came with enormous technical and financial risk which was perhaps underestimated at the time. The price tag for the vessel (not including aircraft) has risen to around $13.3bn with another $5bn spent on supporting research and development.

The new ship is the culmination of a twenty-year project, and although formally commissioned in July 2017, she did not achieve initial operating capability until December 2021. The first of class of any warship is also a prototype and many of its systems can only be fully tested when installed on the ship or at sea. Nearly 5 years were spent on fixing emerging issues with the new systems but as a project too big to fail, expenditure and hard work has finally paid off. The USN now has a platform that is by far the best on the planet, with a large margin of reserve space and power generation to absorb future ship and aircraft technologies. Broadly speaking the new design also enables Ford to generate higher sustained aircraft sortie rates, making for a safer, more survivable combat vessel with reduced crewing and maintenance requirements.

With a similar painful experience developing the Zumwalt class destroyers, the USN has subsequently said it will never again attempt to bring together so many new technologies together in one new warship design. Three further ships of the class are now under construction, the USS John F. Kennedy, USS Enterprise and USS Doris Miller, with a 5th planned. The Ford is the first new carrier design in 40 years and a statement of the USN?s continued commitment to tailhook aviation. Whether the USN will be able to maintain a balanced fleet while simultaneously replacing all 11 of its carriers on a one-for-one basis is open to debate. There are some that argue the USN should consider a smaller, affordable design to maintain numbers. The USN could probably build a CATOBAR carrier based on the Queen Elizabeth-Class design for around $4Bn.

.../...

(Klik op afbeelding voor vergroting)




https://www.navylookout.com/up-close-with-the-worlds-largest-warship/
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

US Navy modifies carrier Kennedy contract for F-35 and delivery changes

03 NOVEMBER 2020

by Michael Fabey

As expected, the US Navy (USN) awarded the Newport News Shipbuilding unit of Huntington-Ingalls Industries (HII) contract modifications on 2 November that shift the delivery of the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) to a single-phase process and incorporates changes in the ship to accommodate Lockheed Martin F-35C Joint Strike Fighter flight operations.

With the change, the ship will be delivered three months earlier than initially planned, according to the previously reported schedule.

Newport News Shipbuilding received a USD284.3 million fixed-price-incentive (firm target) modification and a not-to-exceed USD30.7 million cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-plus-incentive-fee modification "for the accomplishment of CVN 79 single-phase delivery and Joint Strike Fighter (F-35C) capabilities", the USN said in a press release on 2 November.

"The navy is transitioning to a single-phase delivery approach to meet both fleet requirements and a congressional mandate of ensuring that CVN 79 is capable of operating and deploying Joint Strike Fighter (F-35C) aircraft before completing the post-shakedown availability as codified in the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act," the navy said. The modifications provide initial funding for the procurement of long-lead material and planning, HII said.

The single-phase delivery date is planned for 30 June 2024 for the second ship of the Ford-class carriers, the navy noted. In a 7 October report on the Ford-class vessels, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) said that Kennedy had been scheduled for delivery to the navy in September 2024. Kennedy

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Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding launched aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy in 2019. The navy has changed the delivery plan for the ship. (Huntington Ingalls Industries)

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-navy-modifies-carrier-kennedy-contract-for-f-35-and-delivery-changes

Zie ook:

https://news.usni.org/2020/10/08/report-to-congress-on-gerald-r-ford-carrier-program-4

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/7223273/Navy-Ford-CVN-78-Class-Aircraft-Carrier-Program.pdf
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

@Warship_78

CitaatToday as we pause to reflect on the birthplace of #NavalAviation dominance - the Battle of Midway, #Warship78 and
@USSHARRYSTRUMAN conduct dual Carrier Operations in the Atlantic Ocean. #USNavy #ForceToBeReckonedWith #forgedbythesea @flynavy









https://twitter.com/Warship_78/status/1268540148989538310
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

Ford Prepares to Integrate Carrier Air Wing

https://seapowermagazine.org/ford-prepares-to-integrate-carrier-air-wing/


A Sailor on the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford signals an F/A-18F Super Hornet to land on the Ford's flight deck during flight operations May 15. Ford is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting carrier qualifications and is set to welcome its air wing, CVW-8, next month. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ryan Seelbach
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

USS Ford Maintenance Moving Ahead of Schedule, Shrinking To-Do List for After Shock Trials

https://news.usni.org/2020/05/20/uss-ford-maintenance-moving-ahead-of-schedule-shrinking-to-do-list-for-after-shock-trials


The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) transits the Atlantic Ocean, May 13, 2020. Gerald R. Ford is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting carrier qualifications. US Navy photo.
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

USS Gerald Ford Flight Deck Now Certified; Can Conduct Carrier Qualifications

https://news.usni.org/2020/03/23/uss-gerald-ford-flight-deck-now-certified-can-conduct-carrier-qualifications


F/A-18E and F Super Hornets assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, stack up in preparation for launch from the flight deck of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) during flight operations in the Atlantic Ocean March 21, 2020. US Navy photo.
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

USN conducts more successful EMALS and AAG tests on carrier Ford

https://www.janes.com/article/93888/usn-conducts-more-successful-emals-and-aag-tests-on-carrier-ford


Aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is now proving the ability of its new Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) to accommodate air wing platforms. Source: Jane's/Michael Fabey
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

Next Ford-class Carrier to be Named After Pearl Harbor Hero Doris Miller (CVN-81)

https://news.usni.org/2020/01/18/next-ford-class-carrier-to-be-named-after-pearl-harbor-hero-doris-miller


Doris Miller in 1942. US Navy Photo
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

USS Gerald R. Ford Set for 11 At-Sea Periods for Tests and Trials

https://seapowermagazine.org/uss-gerald-r-ford-set-for-11-at-sea-periods-for-tests-and-trials/


The aircraft crash and salvage crane aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford lifts an F/A-18 Hornet training shell during a general quarters training evolution on the ship's flight deck. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Zack Guth
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

Navy Considering Phased Delivery for JFK

https://seapowermagazine.org/navy-considering-phased-delivery-for-jfk/


he hull of the USS John F. Kennedy, decorated for its Dec. 7 christening at Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Cory J. Daut
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.