USS Gerald R. Ford

USS Gerald R. Ford, U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier commissioned in 2017. It is the lead ship in the Gerald R. Ford class, and, with a displacement of more than 100,000 tons and a length of 1,106 feet (337 meters), it is the largest warship afloat.

Development and construction

U.S. Nimitz-class carriers debuted in 1975, and—with an estimated service life of 50 years—they continued to form the backbone of U.S. naval force projection well into the 21st century. The last Nimitz carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), was commissioned in 2009, and later that year the keel was laid for the first Gerald R. Ford-class carrier. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the lead ship in the class, was delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2017, more than two and a half years behind schedule and nearly $3 billion over budget. The Ford-class carriers are approximately the same size as the Nimitz carriers, but various technological improvements have reduced the number of crew members to as few as 2,500 (as opposed to some 3,250 crew members on a Nimitz carrier).

Onboard electric-power generation was greatly increased over that of the Nimitz carriers, mainly to accommodate the revolutionary electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS). EMALS replaced the classic steam-powered catapult with a 330-foot- (100-meter-) long “linear synchronous motor,” an electric motor containing a series of magnetic coils that accelerates the launcher and connected aircraft along the carrier’s deck. Electromagnetic launching reduces stress on the aircraft and launching mechanisms; also, energy generated by the system can be adjusted to aircraft of differing weights. This capability will be crucial for the integration of carrier-based Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA; also called “loyal wingman”) drones into the navy’s arsenal. The arresting gear system is also based on electromagnets.

Operational history

The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of the USS Gerald R. Ford from Newport News Shipbuilding on May 31, 2017, after completion of builder’s sea trials. Years of additional tests, upgrades, and evaluations would follow. On July 28, 2017, the Gerald R. Ford conducted its first successful arrested landing (of an F/A-18F Super Hornet); roughly an hour and a half later the same aircraft carried out the ship’s first successful catapult launch. Over the next two years the ship underwent a trial and maintenance period at and around its home port of Naval Station Norfolk. On October 25, 2019, the Gerald R. Ford began sea trials in the Atlantic, and significant milestones during this time included completion of shock trials (a series of underwater blasts designed to test the seaworthiness of the ship in combat; August 8, 2021) and flight deck certification (March 29, 2022).

On May 2, 2023, the Gerald R. Ford embarked on its first major deployment. Over the next eight months it conducted operations with the Sixth Fleet in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, returning to its home port on January 17, 2024. The ship left Norfolk for a scheduled deployment to the Mediterranean on June 24, 2025, and it participated in NATO exercises in the North Sea that September. On October 24, 2025, it was reported that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the Gerald R. Ford to the Caribbean to support an ongoing military campaign against small civilian craft that the Trump administration claimed were smuggling drugs.

Armament and aircraft

Although a carrier’s air wing and strike group escort craft (typically a mix of cruisers and destroyers) are intended to serve as the primary screen from threats, the Gerald R. Ford is equipped with a robust defensive suite. Pairs of Evolved SeaSparrow and Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launchers guard the carrier from anti-ship missiles. Three MK-15 Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS)—20-mm radar-guided Vulcan auto cannons—provide automated defense against airborne and surface threats, while four MK-38 25-mm machine guns protect the ship from small fast-attack craft.

Dozens of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft are embarked on the Gerald R. Ford. The core of the carrier’s air wing consists of three squadrons of single-seat F/A-18E Super Hornets and a squadron of two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornets. The Gerald R. Ford also boasts a squadron of EA-18G Growlers, arguably the finest electronic attack aircraft in the world. The C-2A Greyhound is a critical logistics support craft that allows for resupply while the ship is underway, and the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye provides airborne command-and-control capability for the carrier strike force as a whole. Two squadrons of MH-60 Seahawk helicopters fill a variety of combat and support roles, from anti-submarine warfare to special operations warfare to humanitarian missions.

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