Overview
- Navy Secretary John Phelan said Tuesday the service is reviewing the Ford-class design and costs, and he did not rule out stopping future ships in the line while stressing the fleet will still field carriers.
- The review focuses on whether the promised higher sortie rate and the electromagnetic catapult system known as EMALS, which uses electric power instead of steam to launch jets, deliver enough benefit to justify their price and maintenance over a ship’s life.
- Budget papers released Tuesday referred only to an “aircraft carrier” rather than the Ford class, and officials said the study will shape how and when the Navy buys CVN-82 and CVN-83, with the outlook currently pointing to a CVN-82 purchase in Fiscal Year 2029.
- A Navy statement called the design battle-proven and said the ship and air wing have delivered higher sortie rates in three theaters, and a budget official said the deployment data would be “eye-watering,” though the service has not released the rate.
- USS Gerald R. Ford has been deployed for more than 300 days since June 2025 across multiple regions, and President Trump has criticized EMALS while backing a separate “Trump-class” concept that the Navy does not plan to fund until the 2028 budget year.