Posted on 09/17/2008 10:12:37 AM PDT by Reaganesque
September 17, 2008 The tenth and final nuclear-powered Nimitz-class supercarrier, George H. W. Bush, enters service in 2009, but the next-generation is on its way. The Gerald R. Ford CVN 78 is the first ship in the first new carrier class in over 40 years. Northrop Grumman has received a $5.1 billion, seven-year contract for construction of the CVN 78, which is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in 2015.
Northrop Grumman began advance construction of the Gerald R Ford in 2005, under a separate $2.7 billion contract. Roughly one third of the ship’s 1,200 structural units are currently under construction, with the keel scheduled to be laid in 2009. The Navy is expected to build 11 of the carriers, each worth approximately $8 billion, continuing construction into 2058.
The Gerald R Ford class carriers will have a larger flight deck, improved weapons handling, a smaller island, a new Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching System, an Advanced Arresting Gear, and a new A1B nuclear propulsion and electricity generation system. The technological advancements in the Ford design result in a 25% increase in sortie generation, a 25% reduction in necessary manpower, a threefold increase in electrical generating capacity, improved self defense capability, increased launch/recovery capability, increased ability to incorporate future upgrades, and increased operational availability.
By changing the layout of the flight deck, and pushing back the island, the carrier minimizes aircraft movements and decreases the workload for personnel. The centralized re-arming location, and the use of robots to move ordnance, also boosts efficiency and allows aircraft to re-arm in “minutes instead of hours.”
The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching System (EMALS) has a higher level of control than the steam-powered catapults employed by Nimitz-class carriers. EMALS can launch heavier and lighter craft, making it compatible with UAVs. EMALS is more efficient, smaller lighter, more powerful, easier to control, and places less stress on airframes by gradually increasing the aircraft’s speed. UAV integration is also made possible by the Advanced Arresting Gear System, which uses electromagnetism, rather than hydraulics, to capture aircraft.
The inability of current aircraft carriers to effectively handle UAVs is a reminder of the need to plan for technological advancement. While the USS Enterprise, (the ship being replaced by the Ford), is still serving 50 years after it was laid down, it is increasingly unable to adapt to upgraded systems. With currently planned systems on the CVN 78 consuming only half of its generated power, the ship is well prepared to incorporate future energy-hungry systems such laser guns, dynamic armor, and new tracking devices.
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Can you elaborate on this? Will the carrier be able to fire torpedos?
Ping me, please sir. Thank you.
I think they should never have started naming carriers after politicians, especially not that one. Naming them after old carriers would be good. I would love for them to return to the Midway class custom of naming bird farms after places naval aviators made their names shine. USS Marianas (AKA Turkey Shoot) and USS Yankee Station would be proud names indeed!
It's that simple.
And, politics being what it is, for every Ford there will be a Clinton, for every Vinson, a Barney Frank.
It's inevitable.
So if you support naming these wonderful national symbols after Ford and Bush, don't complain when the USS Barney Frank is announced.
Much better to use famous battles, symbols, or ideals.
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I don’t know why the Kennedy, Kitty Hawk, and Constellation were conventionally powered, well after nuclear power had been successfully introduced to carriers. I worked on the Kennedy in 1968 when it was being readied for final delivery to the Navy. As others have mentioned, these decisions were made well before Carter was President.
There is a carrier Roosevelt, but it’s the other Roosevelt. However, there is an Arleigh Burke class destroyer, DDG-80, named after FDR.
FDR and Jimmah hae been the only Presidents since WWII to have any ship other than a carrier named after them.
I like the choice of a sub for Carter (if they HAD to name a ship after him). A submarine. Unseen, and unheard of. Unless it screws up. Perfect.
CV-42 was originally planned to be named the Coral Sea but the name was changed before christening following the death of FDR. Coral Sea was used as the name of the third (and last) Midway-class carrier, CV-43. Midway (CV-41) and Coral Sea served past the 80’s. Midway even participated in Desert Storm.
Kitty Hawk and Constellation were both built BEFORE Enterprise, which was the first nuclear power carrier. The two conventionals after Enterprise were the America and the Kennedy. I always read that Congress didn’t want to spend the money to build them nuke, so they were built conventional.
The government spent that saved money and much more pumping fuel into those ships all those years.
Why first Bush?
You can bet money that somewhere in the new class will be a USS William Clinton, probably the third one. Maybe even a USS Barack Obama.
Bureau of Personnel. They've got a lot of people there who do nothing but issue transfer orders all day long. Pick 5000 people and order them to report on board.
Hell yes. The last three carriers have been Republicans. You don't think the Democrats are going to want to even things up? Woodrow Wilson...Lyndon Johnson...another John F Kennedy...William Clinton...count on it.
Actually, she has the largest flight deck not on a CV or LC. Might even handle a F-35B or several UCAV’s.
I’m really waiting to see how this one works out...
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