Scott Nicholas
Huntington Ingalls Industries‘Â Newport News Shipbuilding unit has delivered a first-of-class aircraft carrier to the U.S. Navy following the platform’s completion of acceptance trials.
The company said Thursday the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier, dubbed CVN 78, is the first in the Ford class of carriers that serves as successor to the Nimitz-class ships.
CVN 78 is equipped with a nuclear power plant, electromagnetic catapults and a flight deck that can cater to an increased volume of aircraft sorties.
Rolf Bartschi, vice president for the Gerald R. Ford carrier construction program at Newport News, said the ship will look to serve the U.S. over the next 50 years as well as provide a platform where the Navy can conduct missions.
Acting Navy Secretary Sean Stackley said in May that CVN 78 will undergo acceptance trials before that month ends to mitigate issues discovered during the carrier’s builders trials.
