 The U.S.S. Gerald R Ford The US Navy's new $13 billion aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is the most technologically advanced warship ever built. USS Gerald R. Ford was officially commissioned on July 22, 2017.  Weighing in at more that 100,000 tonnes, the warship is the world’s largest aircraft carrier. It can carry more than 75 aircraft and its crew can include up to 4,500 sailors.  Ford, the first of its class, has a host of new technologies new to the fleet and will have about 60 aircraft aboard at any given time during the service-retained deployment. Automation allows a crew of several hundred fewer than the previous Nimitz-class carriers, of which the USS Ronald Reagan was the last to be built. The Ford class can embark with every type of aircraft that operates from a carrier.  The class, with a planned total of ten ships, will replace the Navy's current Nimitz-class carriers on a one-for-one basis, starting with the lead ship, Gerald R. Ford, replacing USS Enterprise. The new vessels have a hull similar to the Nimitz-class, but introduce technologies such as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), replacing steam launchers, as well as other design features intended to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs. The second ship of the class, John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), is expected to be commissioned into service in 2024.  |