Tug boats maneuver Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), into the James River during the ship’s Turn Ship evolution on June 11, 2016. US Navy photo.
Dan Grazier, National Interest: The Navy Wants More Ford-Class Aircraft Carriers. But We Don't Even Know If They Work.
The U.S. Navy wants to go all in on the USS Ford-class aircraft carrier program. Less than a year after the first-in-class ship’s commissioning — before it ever launched or recovered an aircraft, a first in history — the sea service is exploring options to buy similar vessels in bulk.
The Navy has already repeated several common acquisition mistakeswith the Ford program, but this latest scheme would pile on more problems. The Navy committed to this program—which includes several new major ship systems like nuclear reactors, catapults and radar systems—while their designs were still in a conceptual stage, and the inevitable complications in their development have contributed greatly to the program’s $6-billion cost increase.
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WNU Editor: There is no real competitor on the seas that can match the U.S. Navy's carrier fleet for the next decade or two (if ever) .... so why is the U.S. in a rush to build them now?
Problems with the future supply of money?
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