On November 26, 2022, the largest aircraft carrier ever built by the US Navy approached
Naval Station Norfolk after a successful NATO exercise with Allied nations. During the tour,
the Gerald R. Ford-class vessel proved her worth as the most sophisticated carrier in the world.
The ship conducted over 1,250 sorties and achieved an outstanding generation rate
of over 160 aircraft. Impressively, this capability can be bolstered to over 270
aircraft if necessary thanks to her innovative launch systems such as the Advanced Arresting
Gear and the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, which put less strain on
the airframe and allow the vessel to launch heavier fighter aircraft and lighter drones.
The Navy wants to replace the existing Nimitz-class carriers with the Gerald R.
Ford class in the following decade and is thus packing the innovative
and nuclear-powered carriers with the most formidable and state-of-the-art technology
in the United States arsenal, expecting them to serve past 2100, more than 80 years from now…
Nimitz Class The Nimitz-class aircraft
carriers were commissioned in May of 1975, and its lead ship was named in honor of World War 2
Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. The carriers displace over 100,000 long tons,
have a length of over 1,092 feet, a beam of about 252 feet, and a draft of 37 feet.
Since their introduction, they have been the armed forces' power projection worldwide,
especially against Russia, China, and North Korea. The Nimitz-class carriers can achieve a top
speed of 35 miles per hour with unlimited range thanks to their nuclear reactors,
and their crews of over 5,000 personnel can go on a tour of 90 days without any resupply.
The ships have participated in Operation Eagle Claw, the Gulf of Sidra Incident,
the First and Second Gulf Wars, and several humanitarian missions.
As such, they have been upgraded to better serve in modern conflicts as the years have passed.
However, the Navy designed them for a 50-year service life, and in the 2000s,
the service began researching a new carrier class that could replace them and launched
the CVN-21 program to upgrade them one last time. In his book, ‘Modernizing the US Aircraft Carrier
Fleet: Accelerating CVN 21 Production Versus Mid-life Refueling,’ author John Frederic
Schank wrote: (QUOTE) “The biggest problems facing the Nimitz class are the limited
electrical power generation capability and the upgrade-driven increase in ship
weight and erosion of the center-of-gravity margin needed to maintain ship stability."
The program eventually evolved into the CVN-78, giving way to Gerald R. Ford,
a new class of aircraft carriers. Gerald R. Ford
USS Gerald R. Ford is the first US Navy aircraft carrier designed in over 40 years. She is the
lead ship of the Ford class of aircraft carriers developed to replace the aging Nimitz-class ones.
The class is named after the 38th President of the United States and is equipped with 23
new technologies that enhance the ship’s capabilities regarding aircraft launch,
propulsion, power generation, and ordnance handling. Such features also reduce the number
of crew members required to operate the vessel, leading to a more efficient use of manpower.
Gerald R. Ford is the first of at least four Ford-class ships the Navy plans to commission,
with a second carrier, John F. Kennedy, expected to be delivered in 2024.
The ship began construction in 2007 and was introduced into service in 2017.
The project’s cost was an impressive 37 billion, and the individual vessel cost 12 billion.
Ford displaces 100,000 long tons, has a length of 1,092 feet, a beam of 256 feet, and a height of
252 feet. She has space for 25 decks, more than 85 aircraft, and carries a crew of about 2,600.
The main features that distinguish the Ford from the Nimitz class are her improved
Advanced Arresting Gear for aircraft or AAG, her Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System or EMALS,
the revamped RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles, stealth capabilities, and Dual Band Radar.
EMALS and AAG The Ford-class carrier has a 33
percent higher SGR or Sortie Generation Rate when compared to the Nimitz class and can reach up to
160 sorties per day and over 270 during wartime. This incredible capability comes from her new
aircraft launch and recovery systems, EMALS and AAG.
EMALS substitutes the standard steam piston catapult employed by older aircraft carriers
by using a linear induction motor with electric currents that create
magnetic fields that propel aircraft along the runway and put less stress on the airframes.
Furthermore, EMALS is more effective, cheaper, lighter, and easier to maintain by the crew.
Besides bolstering Ford’s Sortie Generation Rate, the system also allows the aircraft carrier to
launch heavier aircraft or lighter UAVs or drones. Meanwhile, AAG bolsters Ford’s air capabilities
by replacing previous carriers' conventional hydraulic arresting gears.
The system employs electromagnets, energy-absorbing water turbines,
and an induction motor that allows more precise control when arresting aircraft.
Like EMALS, the AAG system allows the ship to launch UAVs without
putting too much stress on the airframe of the lighter vehicles.
Sensors and Upgrades Gerald R. Ford features
an integrated, electronically scanned array search and tracking radar system. In addition,
her dual-band radar combines the X-band AN/SPY-3 multifunction radar with the S-band Volume Search
Radar emitters in three-phased arrays. The system has no moving parts,
significantly reducing maintenance, while the arrays can handle low-altitude tracking,
radar illumination, and overall search and tracking under any weather conditions.
The new Bechtel A1B reactor is also more effective, lighter,
and easier to maintain when compared to the A4W reactor used by the Nimitz carriers.
The two reactors provide 30 percent more power than the previous generation,
allowing the Navy to future-proof the design for upcoming technological assets.
US Navy officials have stated that they want the Gerald R. Ford class to serve in the
American fleet past 2100 and are making sure the carriers are designed to accept upgrades during
the following decades. Silent Wolverine
USS Gerald R. Ford, the flagship of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group,
set sail from Norfolk, Virginia, on October 4, 2022, for a two-month deployment to test
her carrier capabilities in preparation for her first Global Force Management Deployment,
which is expected to commence in early 2023. This officially marked the ship’s first
deployment. At sea, Gerald R. Ford and her strike group joined six NATO allies to exercise Silent
Wolverine in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. The allied force comprised vessels from Spain,
Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and the US Navy.
The Navy stated that Wolverine's objective
was to test the first-in-class aircraft carrier capabilities through integrated
high-end naval warfare scenarios alongside participating NATO allies.
Admiral Stuart B. Munsch, commander of US Naval Forces Europe and Africa and Allied Joint Force
Command Naples, told the press: (QUOTE) “The challenges of tomorrow are upon us,
in the here and now. Silent Wolverine demonstrates our commitment to deepening interoperability with
our allies and partners, while testing the advanced, cutting-edge warfighting
capabilities of the Ford-class aircraft carrier in a highly relevant operational environment.”
Besides Gerald R. Ford, the American Carrier Strike Group included the Ticonderoga-class
guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy, and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile
destroyers USS McFaul and USS Thomas Hudner. Rear Admiral Greg Huffman, commander of Carrier
Strike Group 12, concluded: (QUOTE) “We are honored to be sailing alongside some of the
most capable navies in the world during our first deployment as we increase our
proficiencies and demonstrate the warfighting capabilities that Ford brings to the fight."
New Battle Flag
While operating in the Atlantic Ocean, the ship displayed her battle flag for the first time.
As expected, she paid homage to the man behind the vessel's name, President Gerald R. Ford.
The battle flag featured a unique blue and yellow pattern representing Ford’s undergraduate years at
the University of Michigan. Other symbols included a nautical compass topped with a
fleur-de-lis that signifies Ford’s naval service during World War 2 and his rank of Eagle Scout.
Additionally, the battle flag complements the ship's motto of “Integrity at the
Helm,” further highlighting Ford’s legacy of integrity and honesty throughout his career.
As Ford unveiled her flag, she steamed in formation along with German frigate FGS Hessen,
Spanish Armada frigate Álvaro de Bazán, Danish frigate HDMS Peter Willemoes,
Dutch frigate HNLMS Van Amstel and De Zeven Provincien in the Atlantic.
She traveled more than 9,275 nautical miles with the carrier strike group
and conducted air defense, mine countermeasures,
anti-submarine warfare, and amphibious exercises that tested her new capabilities.
Ford’s commanding officer, Captain Paul Lanzilotta, said in a statement: (QUOTE)
“Through integrated and combined operations such as live and inert ordnance expenditure by Carrier
Air Wing 8, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and air defense, we set the stage for
operating with Ford-class technologies in a deployed environment. We completed more than
1,250 sorties, expended 78.3 tons of ordnance, and completed 13 underway replenishments. We
accomplished this because of what Ford-class aircraft carriers bring to the fight.”
Ford also made her first global port call in Halifax, Nova Scotia,
and later visited Portsmouth, United Kingdom, where the crew had some time off.
According to the Navy, Ford hosted 175 foreign dignitaries, 46 NATO flag officers, and more
than 60 American and international reporters. The aircraft carrier successfully returned to
Naval Station Norfolk on November 26, 2022, with plenty of experience for her first
Global Force Management Deployment and the future of the Navy’s most innovative class.
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