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fighting ships of the world

UNITED STATES NAVY (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)

AIRCRAFT CARRYING SHIPS

GERALD R. FORD nuclear powered multipurpose aircraft carriers (2017- )

Gerald R. Ford

John F. Kennedy

No Name Yard No Builder Laid down Launched Comm Fate
CVN78 Gerald R. Ford   Northrop Grumman SB, Newport News 14.11.2009 11.10.2013 22.7.2017 in service (2020)
CVN79 John F. Kennedy   Northrop Grumman SB, Newport News 22.8.2015 29.10.2019 2025 building (2020)
CVN80 Enterprise   Northrop Grumman SB, Newport News 2021 2025 2028 building (2020)
CVN81 Doris Miller   Northrop Grumman SB, Newport News 2026 2030 2033 authorized (2020)
  

Displacement standard, t

 

Displacement full, t

101600

Length, m

332.8

Breadth, m

40.8 wl 80.8 fd

Draught, m

12.4

No of shafts

4

Machinery

4 sets Westinghouse geared steam turbines, 2 General Electric S9G nuclear reactors

Power, h. p.

840000 (combined with electric power)

Max speed, kts

31

Fuel, t

nuclear

Endurance, nm(kts) practically unlimited

Armour, mm

presumably belt summary: 135, flight deck: 45, hangar deck: 50, main deck: 64 + Kevlar protection of vital spaces

Armament

2 x 8 ESSM SAM (16 RIM-162), 2 x 21 RAM SAM (42 RIM-116A), 3 x 6 - 20/76 Mk 15 Phalanx, 4 x 1 - 12.7/90, ~70 aircraft (F/A-18, F-35 fighters, EA-18 ECM planes, E-2 EW planes, C-2 cargo planes, CV-22 tilt-rotor craft, AH-1, CH-53, HH-60, MH-53, MH-60, UH-1, UH-60 helicopters)

Sensors

SPY-3, SPY-4, SPS-74(v)2, 4x Mk 95, 3x Mk 90 radars, SLQ-32(v)4, SLQ-20B ECM suites, 8x Mk 36 SRBOC decoy RL, SLX-1 anti-torpedo system, CEC USG-2, SSDS Mk 2, ICDS, JDTS, POST, CVIC, ICDS CCS

Complement

4539

Aircraft facilities (fd - 22,268 m², ha - 6,860 m² / 55,357 m³): Flight deck: 331.7 x 76.8m. Hangar: 208.5 x 32.9 x 8.07 m. There are 4 deck-edge elevators (47.6t, 21.4/25.9 x 15.9m). There are 4 EMALS catapults. Aircraft fuel stowage: 12 869 000 l of JP-5 jet fuel. Aviation ordnance stowage is 1954t.

Year fighters recon, EW, ECM helicopters
2018 (plan) 75 F/A-18E/F, F-35C 4 EA-18G, 4 E-2D 6 MH-60R/S

Project history: CVN(X), later- CVN21 program. The class has an enhanced nuclear propulsion system incorporating new reactor and new electrical plant design that provides increased electrical power generation capability over the previous ships and allows electric-powered equipment to replace the previous steam-powered auxiliary systems. The CVN78 class has 3.5 times the electrical power generation capability and 25% more freshwater generation capability than the CVN68 class. The steam catapults were replaced with an Electro-Magnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) to launch planes via a linearmotor drive. EMALS offers greater launch control and precision, paving the way for both heavier and lighter aircraft and increased weapon loads, even with less available wind. These advances permit the launch and recovery of a more diverse range of aircraft and UAVs. EMALS also applies less force on airframes during launch, and advanced arresting gear allows increased weight. These and other enhancements permit a 33% increase in sortie rates for the CVN78 over the CVN68 and CVN71, expected 160 sorties per day instead of 120 with the ability to surge to more than 270 sorties per day for short periods. Additionally, the ship's command and control facilities are reconfigurable to permit greater flexibility during different missions.

    The size of flight deck is increased for enhanced flight-deck efficiency. New electromagnetic weapon elevators have been added with linear motors instead of cabling. Ships can be armed with octuple Mk 56 ESSM VLS launchers instead of standard Mk 29.

Ship protection (presumably): Armour protection consists of 3 protected decks (flight, hangar and lower decks) and vertical armour (side armour and longitudinal bulkheads). Also there is a box-shaped protection of magazines and vital zones. Underwater protection includes 5 longitudinal bulkheads (4th bulkhead is 76mm-thick). Bottom is also protected. Also vital spaces have 63mm Kevlar protection.

Modernizations: None.

Naval service: No significant events. Gerald R. Ford is expected to be deployed in 2020.

Turn Ship, PCU FORD, cvn 78,

Gerald R. Ford 2016

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