Huntington Ingalls Industries recently announced that the future USS John F. Kennedy completed its second round of sea trials in the waters off of Hampton Roads.
“Our nation is depending on us to deliver these critical assets that will protect freedom around the world, and we’re proud to see CVN 79 take another step toward joining the fleet,” said Derek Murphy, NNS vice president of aircraft carrier production.
This is the second round of sea trials for the carrier. The Navy will now begin testing, before accepting the ship into the fleet. Kennedy is the second Ford-class aircraft carrier to move through production at Newport News. It is scheduled to be turned over to the Navy in March 2027. The date has been pushed back several times over the years.
The announcement comes as the Trump administration contemplates drastic changes to the Ford-class carriers, including reworking the ship's design to incorporate older steam catapults for launching aircraft. A recent executive order tells the Navy to abandon the electromagnetic system, which is already in use on USS Gerald R. Ford and already installed on the Kennedy.
Ford-class aircraft carriers were designed to use Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Weapons Elevators and redesigning the system to rely on the older steam catapults is expected to add significantly to the $13.2 billion price tag for each ship, as well as cause production delays at Newport News Shipbuilding, which is the only shipyard capable to producing nuclear-powered carriers. The executive order covers the Doris Miller, which is already in production behind the Kennedy and the future USS Enterprise.
Former Navy Secretary John Phelan had ordered a review of the Ford-class carrier program earlier this year. The review has not been made public. The Washington Post reports that President Trump wants the Navy to redesign the ships to put the carrier’s island toward the center of the ship, similar to aircraft carriers in the World War II era. Ford-class carriers have the island near the rear of the ship, which frees up more deck space for planes. Redesigning the ships is expected to cause further delays and add billions to the ships’ cost.
Sen. Tim Kaine joined a group of Democratic lawmakers who asked the president to reconsider making dramatic changes to the carriers’ design.
“The Navy moved to the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) because it offers more precise control over aircraft launches, can accommodate a wider range of aircraft, and reduces maintenance and manpower requirements. The Navy has spent years improving this technology and has now conducted tens of thousands of successful launches,” according to the letter.
