Christine Thropp
Huntington Ingalls Industries‘ Newport News Shipbuilding division has started the construction of the U.S. Navy’s fourth Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier that the service branch plans to use for global sea lane protection and national security strategy implementation initiatives.
The future aircraft carrier Doris Miller (CVN 81) is part of a contract for ship design and construction efforts HII has been doing since its award in 2019, the company said Wednesday.
Newport News is using digital drawings and procedures to build Doris Miller, whose early construction includes shop work and structural fabrication efforts. The ship is expected to be delivered to the Navy in 2032 while the laying of its keel is planned for 2026.
Doris Miller’s first construction milestone was marked by the first cutting of steel for the aircraft carrier.
The Ford-class aircraft carriers are equipped with electromagnetic catapults and weapons elevators that are controlled by software. The ships sport redesigned flight deck and islands and have more electrical capacity than their Nimitz-class predecessor.
