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Posted on 04/24/2026 6:55:05 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
The U.S. Navy is reviewing the design and costs of one of its most high-tech and expensive warships — the Ford-class aircraft carrier — and the service’s top boss is not ruling out canceling future versions of its design.
Navy Secretary John Phelan told reporters Tuesday that the review, which should be complete next month, was “a prudent and practical” move aimed at examining “the costs of the designs and the systems to make sure that they make sense and they have all the systems and requirements that we want going forward.”
The review of the design comes after years of criticism from President Donald Trump, who has taken issue with some of the technology on this type of aircraft carrier, including its magnetic catapults, which he claimed “didn’t work” during remarks in the Oval Office last year.
When Phelan was asked if the review could lead to the cancellation of future Ford-class aircraft carriers, he told reporters only that “it’s too early to say, but we will have carriers.”
The USS Gerald R. Ford has been on a record-setting deployment of more than 300 days — since June 2025 — that has seen the world’s largest aircraft carrier participate in two key military actions by the Trump administration: the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the war against Iran.
Navy budget documents made public Tuesday did not list Ford-class aircraft carriers among the ships that the Navy planned to buy. The documents instead simply said “aircraft carrier.” Meanwhile, other ships — such as the Columbia-class submarines and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers — were described by class name.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
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The Ford Class aircraft carrier is not the ship we need going forward.
EMALS has been a balky money pit. Maybe back to steam catapults.
Aircraft carriers at the bottom of the ocean due to . . . ???
Drones?
Montana Class BBs could force the Strait of Hormuz.
Several small carriers have advantages over a single supercarrier for the same cost. Design drones to fit the ship, instead of designing a ship around 20th century war fighting technology.
Also a fan of some conventional subs to supplement the big boats.
My understanding is that the ship is very SUSTAINABLE, meaning it has a very small impact on the environment.
Hard to see a anything more important than that.
The fewer transformations of energy the greater the efficiency.
Steam cats work.
There are a half dozen or so display battleships that could be modernized and do the job.
And the navy sure knows how to operate and maintain those steam catapults.
Lint fire or bad toilets.
I guess until we can find another method to project our power and have the capability to mass planes/drones outside the confines of the U.S., I think we’re stuck with aircraft carriers.
Sorry but in the era of the silicon chip, virtually all naval surface combatants are obsolete. In order to prove that concept wrong, the US Navy would have to be engaged with a technologically sophisticated opponent. May that day never come.
We have a winner!
Diesel subs? We’re not a poor country. That’s what a poor country has to try and defend its coast. Our subs operate on the other side of the world.
Correct. The next generation platforms to enable projection of force globally are needed.
I believe those platforms are already in the works, designed to be rapidly constructed, and “autonomous”.
The weapons of war will adapt to the threat.
I can say with some certainty that Phelan won’t be cancelling anything.
Shift to drone carriers IMHO and put the $$ saved elsewhere
Damn straight! (or strait, if you prefer! lol)
I agree. While EMALS is great in theory, steam is not dependant on electronics.
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