Aircraft carriers have been the peak of American naval dominance for decades—mobile airbases that can project power, deter foes, and respond to crises on the international stage. At its helm is the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the world’s most advanced carrier, a revolution of new naval warfare and strategy.
As the lead of the Ford class, Gerald R. Ford is the new carrier design that replaces the Nimitz-class carriers. It’s 1,106 feet long and approximately 100,000 tons, which makes it larger than most ships in the oceans. Its flight deck is longer than four football fields, and its superstructure reaches the height of a 24-story building. But the Ford is not just brutish strength—it’s an engineering marvel.
The ship carries 23 stunning technological innovations that will fundamentally change life at sea. The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) is a steam catapult replacement, launching aircraft more smoothly, quickly, and safely. Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) maximizes landing efficiency and reduces plane and crew stress.
Automation plays a central part. Weapon elevators speed aircraft arming to allow for extra crew sorties. Dual Band Radar (DBR) enables better detection and tracking of airborne and surface threats. Equipped with two A1B nuclear reactors, the carrier will remain on the job for 25 years without refueling and delivers more than double the electrical power of earlier carriers.
These upgrades don’t just make it stronger—smarter and quicker, too. Automation enables the Ford to be propelled by about 400 fewer sailors than a Nimitz-class ship, more adequately responding to manpower needs in today’s postmodern era without loss of combat capability.
Its initial operational deployment put these systems to the test. Years of delay and technical issues were finally overcome as the Ford made its first complete deployment, with it being on a mission to the eastern Mediterranean when Israel and Hamas fought. Not challenged directly, but by simply being there, it was proof of U.S. determination and an act of stabilization in the region.
For $13 billion, Ford increased its value propositions compared to the Nimitz class. But its deployment highlighted real benefits: more rapid airplane launches, lower manning needs, and greater operational flexibility overall. Shipbuilders project that efficiencies of design and new technology systems will yield some $4 billion in operating cost savings over the life of the 50-year carrier.
The Ford’s firepower is enormous. The ship has space for more than 75 aircraft, including the F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-35C Lightning II stealth fighter aircraft, E-2D Hawkeye, and MH-60R/S Seahawk. This allows for a host of missions, including combat and reconnaissance, humanitarian assistance, and projecting power thousands of kilometers out from the coastlines.
The carrier can be utilized on blockades, defense of maritime lines of communication, and as a command ship for coalition forces.
Strategically, Ford deployments are meant to deter and speed up. Operations beyond Iranian shores placed the carrier in a new light as capable of reassuring allies and projecting American military reach. Defensive and offensive capabilities render it a firm presence and effective guarantor of coalition security.
It looks to the future as a new standard of naval warfare. With at least four more carriers in the works, the United States Navy is embracing speed, automation, and accuracy as policy guide lights. USS Gerald R. Ford is not only a ship—it is an engineering feat, a warship, and an open announcement of the United States’ unabashed continuation of global involvement.