How the USS Gerald R Ford's new tech is proving the critics wrong
The USS Gerald R Ford anchored in the Solent off Portsmouth on 17 November. (Photo: author)
USS Gerald R Ford is the largest, most expensive and most advanced aircraft carrier ever built and has successfully deployed a raft of new technologies on its first operational deployment.
Despite past criticism from the Pentagon's top weapons tester, the new technologies integrated into the USN's latest aircraft carrier have shown value during its first operational deployment.
USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) integrates 23 new technologies, highlights of which include the ship's Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) and Advanced Weapons Elevators (AWEs).
In January, the latest annual report from the DoD's weapons testing authority said the EMALS, arrestor gear, weapons elevators and dual-band radar were not hitting reliability targets.
The Director Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) report highlighted the 'low reliability' of
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 2 free stories per week
- Daily news round-up email service
- Access to all Decisive Edge email newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Why USNORTHCOM would struggle to defeat China in the Arctic]()
Why USNORTHCOM would struggle to defeat China in the Arctic
Not having enough naval and C4ISR capabilities to patrol and monitor the region would the US at risk in a conflict with China in the Arctic region.
-
![Singapore to add two more submarines to fleet as it hikes defence spending]()
Singapore to add two more submarines to fleet as it hikes defence spending
Singapore’s army and navy look set to benefit from increases in the country’s defence budget, with submarines and IFVs on the shopping list.
-
![How will NATO’s Baltic Sentry work to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea?]()
How will NATO’s Baltic Sentry work to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea?
The rise in incidents of damage to subsea cabling in the Baltic Seahas driven NATO to commit to bolstering the action of local navies. But how effective can it be?
-
![GAO recommends better oversight of support for shipyards in the face of capacity concerns]()
GAO recommends better oversight of support for shipyards in the face of capacity concerns
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) believes the US industrial base will struggle to meet US Navy (USN) requirements. This follows recent warnings from USN heads of a decline in resources and that the industrial base is under strain.
