Tag Archives: CVN-81

HII Argues for Aircraft Carrier Block Buy as New Enterprise Takes Shape

HII Argues for Aircraft Carrier Block Buy as New Enterprise Takes Shape

A keel section of the future aircraft carrier Enterprise CVN-80 on Aug 26, 2022. USNI News Photo

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Fatima Medina-Galeno might be one of the few naval shipbuilders in the United States who needs a solid Wi-Fi signal to get her job done. In addition to her steel-toed boots and her hardhat, Medina-Galeno lugs a rugged, dust-covered laptop on the job. Read More

Nimitz and Ford Carriers Need Upgrades to Deploy With F-35Cs

Nimitz and Ford Carriers Need Upgrades to Deploy With F-35Cs

An F-35C Lightning II assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101 is positioned on the bow catapults of the Nimitz-Class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) March 17, 2018, in the Atlantic Ocean. US Navy photo

This post has been updated with additional information from the Navy. The service has one aircraft carrier able to deploy with F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighters, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).

Currently, the Navy only has one aircraft carrier — either Ford-class or Nimitz-class — that can support the service’s most advanced fighters for a full deployment, service officials told USNI News on Thursday. Read More

Experts: Navy Would Spend Billions to Answer Trump’s Call to Return Carriers to Steam Catapults

Experts: Navy Would Spend Billions to Answer Trump’s Call to Return Carriers to Steam Catapults

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 3rd Class Darius Jarmon lubricates an electromagnetic aircraft launching system (EMALS) catapult aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). US Navy Photo.

President Donald Trump again called to install steam catapults on future aircraft carriers, in a move experts say would cost billions of dollars and reduce the capital ships’ capabilities. Read More

UPDATED: Navy Awards 2-Carrier Contract to Newport News Shipbuilding

UPDATED: Navy Awards 2-Carrier Contract to Newport News Shipbuilding

The final piece of the underwater hull of the future aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) is lowered into place at Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding in September. Photo courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries.

THE PENTAGON – The Navy awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding a contract for two aircraft carriers, the first of its kind since the 1980s. Read More

Navy Could Award 2-Carrier Contract by End of January, With Expected $4B in Savings

Navy Could Award 2-Carrier Contract by End of January, With Expected $4B in Savings

A 2013 artist’s concept of the future carrier Enterprise (CVN-80). DoD Image

This post has been updated to include a statement from Huntington Ingalls Industries.

The clock is now counting down for the Navy to award Newport News Shipbuilding a two-aircraft carrier contract, after the Pentagon formally notified Congress on Dec. 31 that it wanted to pursue the first dual-carrier contract since the late 1980s. Read More

Navy Tackling Ford-Class Weapons Elevator Challenges; Decision on 2-Carrier Buy Still Pending

Navy Tackling Ford-Class Weapons Elevator Challenges; Decision on 2-Carrier Buy Still Pending

F/A-18F Pilot LCDR Jamie R. Struck the makes first carrier arrested landing using AAG system aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) off the Virginia coast. US Navy Photo

CAPITOL HILL – The Navy’s acquisition chief said the weapons elevators on USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) will be built and installed by the time the ship comes out of its ongoing post-shakedown availability, but he may launch an independent review team to look at the long-term sustainability and reliability of the elevators. Read More

HII: Future Carrier John F. Kennedy Construction Costs Down, Ship Will Launch Next Year

HII: Future Carrier John F. Kennedy Construction Costs Down, Ship Will Launch Next Year

The final piece of the underwater hull of the future aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) is lowered into place at Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding in September. Photo courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries.

Huntington Ingalls Industries executives expect the future aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) to launch by the end of 2019, which is ahead of schedule and will occur roughly six years since the christening of first-in-class USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78).

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Senators Want More Details on 2-Carrier Buy, LCS Requirement Before Supporting Additional Shipbuilding Funds

Senators Want More Details on 2-Carrier Buy, LCS Requirement Before Supporting Additional Shipbuilding Funds

A crane moves the lower stern into place on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) at Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va. on June 22, 2017. HII Photo

The Senate Armed Services Committee is looking for more information from the Navy before it will support buying additional ships in Fiscal Year 2019, which its House counterparts wholeheartedly endorsed doing. Read More