[A.A. Cunningham]

120524-N-ZZ999-003 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (May 24, 2012) The final keel section of the future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is lowered into place at Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding. The 680-metric-ton, 60-foot-tall lower bow unit was joined to the other keel sections and was the last major section of the ship installed below the waterline. Gerald R. Ford is now more than 75 percent structurally complete in the dry dock, and is on schedule to launch in 2013. The ship is scheduled to be delivered to the fleet in 2015. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Ricky Thompson Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding Division/Released)

120524-N-ZZ999-004 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (May 24, 2012) The final keel section of the future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is lowered into place at Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding. The 680-metric-ton, 60-foot-tall lower bow unit was joined to the other keel sections and was the last major section of the ship installed below the waterline. Gerald R. Ford is now more than 75 percent structurally complete in the dry dock, and is on schedule to launch in 2013. The ship is scheduled to be delivered to the fleet in 2015. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Ricky Thompson Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding Division/Released)

[moonshot925]

Currently being assembled in Newport News, Virginia, the Ford-class will replace the Nimitz-class carriers and will include an array of new technology.

•Advanced arresting gear used to grab planes as they land on the deck.
•Automation, which reduces crew requirements by several hundred from the Nimitz class carrier.
•The updated RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow missile system.
AN/SPY-3 dual-band radar (DBR), as developed for Zumwalt class destroyers.
•An Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) in place of traditional steam catapults for launching aircraft.
•A new nuclear reactor design (the A1B reactor) for greater power generation.
•Stealthier features to help reduce radar profile.
•The ability to launch the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler, and the F-35C Lightning II.