The Gerald R. Ford ships represent the largest naval deployment in decades. The crown of the new era is the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), a ship that represents the most sophisticated technology and profound symbolic value. It is not simply a war vessel; it is a declaration that America is dedicated to making sure that it will be the largest sea power in years when there is fierce rivalry out at sea.
The Ford ship takes its name from President Gerald R. Ford, but it is a legacy burden of so much more than any one individual. It is an honor to serve duty, integrity, and perseverance, those virtues sewn into the very fabric of Navy tradition. A Ford ship name is as much an acknowledgment of his presidency as it is a celebration of the values that drive America’s sailors out onto the oceans.
This is what distinguishes this class from other classes that render it so exceptional, though. It is structured around a new type of nuclear reactor that has been conceived by Northrop Grumman. Its reactors produce much more electricity than the reactors employed on the Nimitz-class carriers did, sufficient to power next-generation guns, sensors, and whatever other technologies the Navy chooses to outfit it with over the next few decades. That not only makes the ship well designed for the here and now, but well designed for the future as well.
The technological jump isn’t finished with its sensors and guns. The Ford has more than two dozen new or improved systems from its predecessor carriers. Its island superstructure is relocated aft and streamlined, ending in a composite mast filled with arrays of radar. Most clearly noticeable is the dual-band radar, which employs two frequencies of radar to optimize viewing the battlespace and being more compatible with coalition nations.
Airplane takeoffs and landings are also next-generation. No more steam catapults; today, there’s the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, magnetic energy pushing planes aloft with increased accuracy and less strain on their physical makeup. Landings belong to the Advanced Arresting Gear, employing the same electromagnetic system to gently pull planes out of the sky, with fewer wear and tear effects on equipment and machinery.
Even its ancillary gear has been revamped. Its new onboard oxygen plant, the best commercially built, enables the Ford to produce the oxygen it needs in medicine and aviation with economy and speed, saving time and straining its crew. They are all quieter but no less genuine upgrades than radar and guns, but ones that help make the ship more independent and economical on long deployments.
The second aspect where Ford is better than its class is on the flight deck. Since it has a mission of carrying as many as ninety aircraft, the ship can launch all of them, including the Super Hornet and F-35, electronic attack aircraft, airborne radar, helicopters, and drones. Aboard the vessel, the deck and system configuration has also been planned to facilitate the highest rates of sortie with room for more than two hundred aircraft sequential launching during maximum utilization overrun conditions.
Despite being more powerful and heavier than its predecessors, the Ford is built with fewer sailors required. It is automation that is the reason, allowing hundreds of men fewer than the ships that came earlier. Meanwhile, the Navy has also enhanced life at sea, with more comfortable living, smoother engines, and more luxurious recreational amenities. They save dollars as well as improve morale for residents on board.
Having been commissioned in 2017, Gerald R. Ford has been put to the test and participated in real-world operations ever since. Its eight-month Mediterranean deployment tested its ability to operate with NATO allies, to showcase its new systems, and to showcase its ability to be a force as an extension of American foreign power. These deployments are not just militaristic muscle, but about keeping America competitive abroad and showing that it can keep its promises.
The Ford-class is also not limited to the ship size. Construction of the ship has also facilitated American shipbuilding, which in turn boosted investment in infrastructure, training, and research. The Navy officials have described how such public-private condition factors keep America’s shipping industry robust and ready for the future.
While the rest of this generation’s members are already far along, the USS John F. Kennedy, USS Enterprise, and USS Doris Miller, the Ford-class will be commanding America’s carrier strike forces for centuries to come. They are not sea-level planes upon the surface of the ocean—they are representations of greatness, flexibility, and the flexibility of the ocean to construct the world of tomorrow.
