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ponpo · Jul 21, 2017

CNN

Gets commissioned tomorrow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-OSlb97kOU

Norfolk, Virginia (CNN)Perched 50 feet above the USS Gerald Ford's massive flight deck, Petty Officer 1st Class Jose Triana has a clear view of the horizon from his padded captain's chair in the pilot house of the world's most advanced aircraft carrier.

"This ship can basically drive itself," Triana said, pointing to a touch-screen navigation display that has replaced the traditional throttle system used to power and steer the US Navy's older carrier classes.

The one-of-a-kind control system is just one of many state-of-the-art upgrades aboard the $13 billion USS Gerald Ford that will be commissioned into active duty on July 22 after eight years of construction, development and testing.

As the first new carrier design in 40 years, the 1,100-foot Ford incorporates advanced technology and operational systems that will allow aircraft take off and land more quickly, a smaller crew and improved survivability against projected threats, according to the Navy.

"One primary difference is the crew composition," said the ship's executive officer, Capt. Brent Gaut. "We've worked a great deal to automize a lot of what we do," he said, highlighting that the Ford maintains a crew of 2,600 sailors -- 600 fewer than its predecessors in the Nimitz-class.

The Navy has operated 10 carriers since the retirement of the USS Enterprise in 2012 -- one fewer than the 11 carrier-force mandated by Congress in 2011. The Navy was granted a waiver as it waited for the USS Gerald Ford to be completed. The next carrier in the Ford class, the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), is scheduled to launch in 2020. That ship was 50% complete as of July. The third Ford-class carrier, the USS Enterprise (CVN 80), is set to begin construction in 2018.

After the Ford's commissioning on July 22, the Ford will undergo months of additional testing to correct any remaining deficiencies and integrate the 75-plane air wing before its first deployment scheduled for 2020.

https://theaviationist.com/?p=42985

Among a long list of new engineering features on board USS Gerald R. Ford are the controversial electromagnetic catapults and arresting gear, a new, smaller, lower radar cross section island structure, larger and more efficient flight deck facilitating faster aircraft launching, more than twice the electrical power of previous carrier classes and a more efficient crew compliment with 500 fewer personnel on board. The massive 1,106-foot-long carrier displaces a staggering 100,000 tons fully loaded and is powered by two new generation nuclear reactors.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been critical of the costs of the program, especially the new electro-magnetic catapult and arrestor take-off and landing systems. The benefits of the new systems are claimed to be less buffeting of aircraft upon launch resulting in better control and less airframe fatigue per launch and recovery. The electromagnetic catapults are also lighter in weight than steam catapults in use on current U.S. carriers and are claimed to require less maintenance than steam-powered launch and recovery systems.

UK, US and China got new carriers in 2017. None for Russia :'(

foxuzamaki · Jul 21, 2017

In actually surprised they weren't 100,000 tons until now

jelly · Jul 21, 2017

13 billion, 13 billion.

Forerunner · Jul 21, 2017

100k tons of freedom!

Dishwalla · Jul 21, 2017

Crap, they are commissioning that thing tomorrow aren't they? And Trump is gonna be there. Will have to stay far away from the base, can only imagine traffic will be a nightmare. Thanks for the reminder.

ponpo · Jul 21, 2017

foxuzamaki said:
In actually surprised they weren't 100,000 tons until now

Nimitz is 100,000 already I think. Graphics just to make other countries feel bad

alternade · Jul 21, 2017

Ugh $13bn and it doesn't even fly or have lasers

CrimzonSamurai · Jul 21, 2017

The fact that this super advanced ship is only $13 billion makes me really depressed about how much the rest of the military's $700+ billion budget must actually be waste.

Tagyhag · Jul 21, 2017

"This ship can basically drive itself," Triana said, pointing to a touch-screen navigation display that has replaced the traditional throttle system used to power and steer the US Navy's older carrier classes.

It's stupid to ask but it must have some sort of manual controls just in case right?

TheLostBigBoss · Jul 21, 2017

13 billion for one of the most efficient projections of force is a bargain I say!

And no I'm not actually being sarcastic

Fenderputty · Jul 21, 2017

jelly said:
13 billion, 13 billion.

It's better money spent on this than wasted on useless jets or tanks nobody needs.

OriginofHysteria · Jul 21, 2017

So is the aircraft propulsion system powered by steam?

ponpo · Jul 21, 2017

Also not to turn this into a trump thread but lol this part of the article

President Donald Trump reaffirmed his commitment to increasing the Navy's carrier fleet from 11 to 12 ships earlier this year during a speech aboard the USS Gerald Ford but just a few months later directly attacked the Ford's electromagnetic catapult system in an interview with Time magazine.

"It sounded bad to me. Digital. They have digital. What is digital? And it's very complicated, you have to be Albert Einstein to figure it out. And I said -- and now they want to buy more aircraft carriers. I said, "What system are you going to be-- "Sir, we're staying with digital." I said, "No you're not. You going to goddamned steam, the digital costs hundreds of millions of dollars more money and it's no good," Trump said.

"Sir, we're staying with digital." I said, "No you're not. You going to goddamned steam.

OriginofHysteria said:
So is the aircraft propulsion system powered by steam?

Nope.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_Aircraft_Launch_System

deo · Jul 21, 2017

13 freakin' biillion!?!?!?

Thats a lot of steel...its huge as hell

chugen · Jul 21, 2017

beautiful

strafer · Jul 21, 2017

No USS Trump?

Dishwalla · Jul 21, 2017

I mean have you guys ever seen an aircraft carrier? They ain't small.

deo · Jul 21, 2017

strafer said:
No USS Trump?

I dont think theres enough orange spray paint in the world to cover something of that size

Vault Dweller 111 · Jul 21, 2017

That thing is pretty badass.

I wonder if one of those loaded with a full arsenal of top of the line modern fighters could have won the pacific theater solo in WW2.

antonz · Jul 21, 2017

Nice to see it finally finished. The new ships are something else as far as tech but that's to be expected when they are the first new ship class in 40 years.

alternade said:
Ugh $13bn and it doesn't even fly or have lasers

It was designed with enough excess power capability etc. to mount laser weapons when they are ready for deployment.

Lexxism · Jul 21, 2017

13 billions of freedom. USA stays winning

Gallbaro · Jul 21, 2017

Yup, yet the actual range of the air groups are shorter than ever.

Forerunner · Jul 21, 2017

strafer said:
No USS Trump?

There you go.

TheLostBigBoss · Jul 21, 2017

Vault Dweller 111 said:
That thing is pretty badass.

I wonder if one of those loaded with a full arsenal of top of the line modern fighters could have won the pacific theater solo in WW2.

We would have won the war in less than a week.

Ri'Orius · Jul 21, 2017

Tagyhag said:
It's stupid to ask but it must have some sort of manual controls just in case right?

Comes with two of these:

OriginofHysteria · Jul 21, 2017

ponpo said:
Also not to turn this into a trump thread but lol this part of the article

"Sir, we're staying with digital." I said, "No you're not. You going to goddamned steam.

Nope.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_Aircraft_Launch_System

lol I was going to quote that article but you got it for me. Obv my post was in jest.

strafer said:
No USS Trump?

Nope, gotta name it after the guy who pardoned the last president who resigned.

Dazzler · Jul 21, 2017

Can't afford single payer, but here's another aircraft carrier

5taquitos · Jul 21, 2017

Vault Dweller 111 said:
That thing is pretty badass.

I wonder if one of those loaded with a full arsenal of top of the line modern fighters could have won the pacific theater solo in WW2.

They wouldn't have had to even use all the planes on it.

TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared · Jul 21, 2017

I don't think HMS Queen Elizabeth actually enters service till 2020 though.

Bubba_Sparks · Jul 21, 2017

Shame, no look at the CIC. I wonder what it looks like. Would love to see an actual picture of the Zumwalts as well.

Edit: Also, I believe the $12 billion includes R&D for the entire class.

Double Edit: Also, Liaoning began its life as a Kuznetsov class Soviet carrier. China has another Kuznetsov like carrier under construction, as well as their own indigenous design I believe. I don't know if their indigenous design is nuclear powered or not, nor do I know its size. Once China gets the basics down, it will not take long for them to start producing carriers in larger numbers.

Jezbollah · Jul 21, 2017

This carrier is $13bn, and will be designed to have at least a 40 year life, perhaps more.

That comes down to (without adjusting for inflation) an average cost of $300m per year during its lifetime.

Given what it's replacing, that is a sum a little easier to swallow.

jakonovski · Jul 21, 2017

A 13 billion carrier? That's rather deranged.

Apath · Jul 21, 2017

CrimzonSamurai said:
The fact that this super advanced ship is only $13 billion makes me really depressed about how much the rest of the military's $700+ billion budget must actually be waste.

Personnel.

Geno Breaker · Jul 21, 2017

Looks pretty sick.

FyreWulff · Jul 21, 2017

I could do that for 580$

MonorailCat · Jul 21, 2017

"It sounded bad to me. Digital. They have digital. What is digital? And it's very complicated, you have to be Albert Einstein to figure it out. And I said -- and now they want to buy more aircraft carriers. I said, "What system are you going to be-- "Sir, we're staying with digital." I said, "No you're not. You going to goddamned steam, the digital costs hundreds of millions of dollars more money and it's no good," Trump said.

Everytime I read trump text, i have to double and triple check if I accidentally read an onion article. But nope .. it's all real.

Leynos · Jul 21, 2017

Vault Dweller 111 said:
That thing is pretty badass.

I wonder if one of those loaded with a full arsenal of top of the line modern fighters could have won the pacific theater solo in WW2.

Got a movie that answers that very question: The Final Countdown.

Cue Europe.

Saucycarpdog · Jul 21, 2017

CrimzonSamurai said:
The fact that this super advanced ship is only $13 billion makes me really depressed about how much the rest of the military's $700+ billion budget must actually be waste.

The navy is actually more fiscal with its budget compared to the other military departments:

The only reason the U.S. Navy budget is increasing is because China and Europe are building up their navy so of course we need to flex our dollars and look bigger! I have no ideas why the Army needed a budget increase in comparison.

wolfhowwl · Jul 21, 2017

FyreWulff said:
I could do that for 580$

With only some homeless people working in the shipyard too!

Anno · Jul 21, 2017

Damn you mean they stayed with the digital plane launching mechanism? Thought we were going to steam.

CrunchyB · Jul 21, 2017

Tagyhag said:
It's stupid to ask but it must have some sort of manual controls just in case right?

Manual controls? You think you can move the rudder by hand?

OriginofHysteria · Jul 21, 2017

Saucycarpdog said:
The navy is actually more fiscal with its budget compared to the other military departments:

The only reason the U.S. Navy budget is increasing is because China and Europe are building up their navy so of course we need to flex our dollars and look bigger! I have no ideas why the Army needed a budget increase in comparison.

That's crazy, considering they have a whole department within the department.

Inuhanyou · Jul 21, 2017

Think of all the things we could do with 13 billion outside of wasting it on the military industrial complex. This has happens in the past regardless of who is President. The priorities of the American government make me sick

XiaNaphryz · Jul 21, 2017

Will US naval air ever get enough planes for the air wings for these new carriers though?

Spending all that money on carriers won't be very efficient if it doesn't have the planes to make use of it, given the issues with the F-35, there's no real plan for what will replace the F/A-18 down the road...hell, there was talk a while back on bringing back the old S3 Vikings to the air wings at one point, not just as an elecronics platform but for tanking purposes so that Hornets wouldn't have to be dedicated to tanker duty.

Bubba_Sparks · Jul 21, 2017

Saucycarpdog said:
I have no ideas why the Army needed a budget increase in comparison.

It has nothing to do with how much you spend, but what you spend it on. For the past 16 years the United States Armed Forces have been engaged in nearly continual combat. This has degraded the combat readiness of military units as important modernization and replacement initiatives have been delayed or scrapped in order to keep units fighting. On top of that, you have sequestration and the Budget Control Act which have hit the military at a time when it is in dire need of recapitalization.

Frankly, the United States Air Force is flying on average 30+ year old aircraft whose airframes are at, nearing or passed their expected service life. The same goes for the army. So they are in desperate need of new equipment. Further worsening this situation is the modernization of China's military at breakneck pace. We could be as little as a decade away from China surpassing the United States as the dominant military force in the world if the funding and program problems continue as they have.

v1lla21 · Jul 21, 2017

Carriers are so fucking cool

a Master Ninja · Jul 21, 2017

Why Gerald Ford? The dude pardoned Nixon.

TheLostBigBoss · Jul 21, 2017

Inuhanyou said:
Think of all the things we could do with 13 billion outside of wasting it on the military industrial complex. This has happens in the past regardless of who is President. The priorities of the American government make me sick

Out of all the things to bitch about, Aircraft Carriers are like the last thing to bitch about in terms of military budget usage.

These things are the backbone of keeping countries in check.

antonz · Jul 21, 2017

Bubba_Sparks said:
Shame, no look at the CIC. I wonder what it looks like. Would love to see an actual picture of the Zumwalts as well.

Edit: Also, I believe the $12 billion includes R&D for the entire class.

Double Edit: Also, Liaoning began its life as a Kuznetsov class Soviet carrier. China has another Kuznetsov like carrier under construction, as well as their own indigenous design I believe. I don't know if their indigenous design is nuclear powered or not, nor do I know its size. Once China gets the basics down, it will not take long for them to start producing carriers in larger numbers.

One of the few pictures from the CIC on Zumwalt

a Master Ninja said:
Why Gerald Ford? The dude pardoned Nixon.

Naval Officer in WWII. Since Carriers started being named After Presidents and they already named ships for presidents as late as 1990 they want back. Navy would be better served going forward after Enterprise going back to the old carriers of WWII.

Cosmonaut X · Jul 21, 2017

TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared said:
I don't think HMS Queen Elizabeth actually enters service till 2020 though.

She's currently on sea trials, and has spent the past week+ in a port five minutes down the road from me (apparently there's a misalignment on the frame around one of the props that has needed resolved). Very impressive bit of kit, and I'm hoping to catch her when she departs.

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