Pentagon Orders A Review Of The $12.9 Billion Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier (file photo)

Bloomberg: Pentagon Opens Review of Costly Carrier Over Navy Objections

* Navy’s Mabus accepts review after it was delayed for a month
* Carrier’s troubles risk breaching $12.9 billion spending limit

The Pentagon will start a review next month of the U.S. Navy’s costliest warship after resolving Navy objections to the inquiry aimed at determining why the aircraft carrier has faced years of delay.

Frank Kendall, the under secretary of defense for acquisition, ordered the review of the $12.9 billion USS Gerald R. Ford that’s being built by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. in part to see what lessons can be learned for production of the two other ships to follow in its class. Kendall agreed to delay the review’s start by a month to defuse a mini-mutiny of sorts by Navy officials who said the timing would be too disruptive.

The carrier’s increasing cost over the years caused Congress to set a $12.9 billion ceiling that might be breached by problems that have surfaced more recently. Michael Gilmore, the Pentagon’s testing chief, warned in June that the Ford may struggle to launch and recover aircraft, mount a defense and move munitions, requiring costly improvements after it’s delivered.

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Update #1: Pentagon orders review of $13B USS Gerald Ford (NBC)
Update #2: Navy’s Troubled New Carrier Undergoing Long Overdue Review (The Drive)

WNU Editor: This review is waaayyyy overdue. Bottom line .... this aircraft carrier is going to cost more than the $12.9 billion that has been allocated for it.