Lead Ford-class carrier nears completion of system testingMichael Fabey, Washington, DC - IHS Jane's Navy International - 22 December 2016
The USN's newest aircraft carrier, the future USS Gerald R Ford, being manoeuvred by tugs in the James River near HII's Newport News shipyard in June 2016. Currently, the carrier is nearing completion of system testing as it prepares for delivery to the navy. Source: USN
Key Points
. System testing on USS Gerald R Ford is more than 75% complete, says shipbuilder
. Less than 10% of overall test programme remains to be finished
Systems testing aboard the US Navy's (USN's) new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, lead ship the future USS Gerald R Ford , is more than three-quarters complete, according to Michael Petters, CEO of shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII).
"CVN 78 Ford is essentially complete, with less than 10% of the overall test programme remaining to be completed," Petters told a recent briefing on the company's earnings. "We are prosecuting the repairs on the main turbine generators and moving towards sea trials."
Resolving issues relating to the turbine generators has been a challenge as the company has worked towards delivering the ship. The navy had planned to take delivery of the ship in 2016; at this stage, no delivery date has been confirmed, although IHS Jane's understands that the navy may provide an update on progress towards this aim by the end of the year.
Two of the key systems currently undergoing additional testing are the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG). These systems are central to the launch and recovery, respectively, of embarked aircraft.
Of the two, EMALS development, installation, and integration have kept mostly to schedule and expectation. The system has undergone nearly all testing planned before delivery, according to Michael Land, a spokesperson for Naval Air Systems Command, in response to questions from IHS Jane's . Once that testing is complete and the carrier is delivered, HII's team will turn the system over to Ford 's crew to test EMALS with aircraft onboard the ship.
AAG testing appears to be back on track following some setbacks, according to the USN. The navy is still testing the system, following a re-design of its water-twister components.
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