The USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier is setting sail for a new test at sea, specifically its shipbuilder sea trials. It marks a major milestone for the US Navy’s next supercarrier.
The trials will be overseen by top shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries, allowing for evaluations of the vessel before it’s delivered to the Navy.
Though the ship has gone through river-based propulsion testing, these trials are when the new warship leaves the yard and proves that it actually works at sea. It’s a big reality check before the Navy receives it and starts putting it through its own tests.
Shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries launched the Kennedy (CVN-79) from its Newport News Shipbuilding division on Wednesday. “These trials will test important ship systems and components at sea for the first time,” Todd Corillo, HII’s spokesperson for the NNS division, told Business Insider in a statement.
Kennedy is the second Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier. HII started construction on it in February 2011 with the “first cut of steel ceremony.” The ship’s keel was laid in August 2015, and the carrier was halfway done being built in June 2017.
Courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries
The aircraft carrier’s delivery date has shifted over the years, but it is now expected for March 2027.
In 2020, the Navy shifted away from earlier plans to build the Kennedy in two stages and install some systems, like capabilities for operating Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II stealth fighters, after launch, instead choosing a single-phase approach that added years of work. These delays are different from those that affected the first Ford-class carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford.
The first ship in the class struggled with the integration of new technologies like the advanced aircraft arresting gear and weapons elevators, contributing to significant cost overruns and delays. The Navy has said that those lessons were folded into the later build, helping the Kennedy move faster overall.
After the Kennedy enters service, the next Ford-class carriers to be delivered to the Navy will be USS Enterprise (CVN-80) and USS Dorris Miller (CVN-81), planned for commissioning in 2030 and 2032, respectively.
The US announced the names and planned dates of the following two carriers, USS William J. Clinton (CVN-82) and USS George W. Bush (CVN-83), last year.