The Gerald R. Ford-class carriers are a sea change in naval firepower. They are the first completely new design of U.S. Navy carrier in more than four decades, and the difference is plain to see. As a generation leap forward, not an improvement, not an enhancement, these ships are the most technologically advanced, more efficient, and unparalleled combat potential—a new standard for warship design.
Behind all the revolution is are revolutionary system. One of the most fundamental may be the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, that replaces the antiquated steam catapults. EMALS provides the carrier with more accurate, smoother, and more consistent launches, and it provides the carrier with the flexibility to launch from heavy strike fighters to light drones.
It. It also introduces the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG), which recovers aircraft more rapidly and more safely. The new flight deck arrangement—decreased, moved island, and reconfigured fueling stations—these improvements reduce traffic and improve safety in high-tempo operations and allow more planes to come and go.
Below deck, the Ford-class also takes a major innovation step forward with new weapons elevators. Electromagnet-driven and sensor-intelligent, they move ordnance 50% faster than Nimitz-class elevators and are nearly twice their size. Moving ordnance transfer below deck frees up precious space above, improving combat effectiveness and safety.
The class has already paid for itself. USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) completed its first deployment, operating with allied fleets and providing more than 10,000 aircraft sorties. The Navy’s rigorous Full Ship Shock Trials were also completed successfully, riding out three dramatic underwater explosions of 40,000 pounds each without incurring any loss of mission capability, verifying the ship’s toughness and crew preparation.
Although larger than the ships it will replace, the Ford-class employs fewer sailors, between 500 and 900 fewer, due to automation and cutting-edge technology. It not only saves on manpower requirements but also maintenance through a reduction of some 30% at a cost saving estimated at $4 billion per ship over its life span of 50 years.
And it has more oomph. A Ford-class carrier can maintain some 160 sorties daily and spike to 220 during the peak of combat, a significant jump from the generation before.
Improved, naturally, has come with a price. Both EMALS and AAG at an early stage suffered reliability issues, infuriating crews accustomed to the reliable steam catapults. Since the systems are so interconnected, maintenance was not always straightforward, raising eyebrows early on.
And then there’s the price. At nearly $13 billion a ship, and excluding research and development expenses, some questioned whether the Navy had to use its capital on more but cheaper ships. But all for the price, the Ford-class has been America’s sea power gem of the future, with capabilities unmatched on any other ship.
Ultimately, the Ford-class is not any ship—it’s an efficient, effective, and better vessel ready to protect maritime interests for decades to come. With its cutting-edge systems, toughness, and capacity to augment other allies, it is America’s best work, as far as innovation and engineering are concerned.
For the Navy, it is not only a warship—it’s a statement of purpose and indication of what carrier warfare will be like in years to come.