The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) has been at sea one of every two days since returning to service in October, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly said Tuesday, continuing evidence that the ship is meeting or exceeding expectations.
Cdr. John Thompson, USN, the USS Gerald R Ford’s weapons officer or Gun Boss, discusses the new ship’s weapons handling capabilities compared with earlier carriers he’s served on during his three decade career. Col. James “Hondo” Geurts, USAF Ret., the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition invited a small group of reporters to travel aboard Ford on Jan. 27, 2020, as the ship conducted Aircraft Compatibility Testing off the Virginia coast.
Capt. JJ “Yank” Cummings, USN, the commanding officer of USS Gerald R Ford, says his ship’s systems are “spot on,” including zero problems with propulsion and smooth functioning of its electromagnetic catapults and new arresting gear, improving capabilities and the importance of keeping Ford-class sailors on Ford-class ships during an interview with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. Col. James “Hondo” Geurts, USAF Ret., the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition invited a small group of reporters to travel aboard Ford on Jan. 27, 2020, as the ship conducted Aircraft Compatibility Testing off the Virginia coast.
Col. James “Hondo” Geurts, USAF Ret., the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, discusses getting the USS Gerald R Ford ready for duty and makes clear that the ship’s propulsion and electrical systems, electromagnetic catapults, novel arresting gear and new dual-band radar are working well as the service qualifies aircraft to operate from the new supercarrier with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. Geurts hosted a handful of reporters aboard Ford on Jan. 27, 2020, as the she steamed off the Virginia coast for aircraft compatibility testing.
The U. S. Navy’s decision to name an aircraft carrier after Pearl Harbor hero Doris Miller is laudable for the symbolism of honoring an African American worthy of having a ship named after him. At first blush, however, it is a misapplication of norms to apply the name of a relatively momentary hero to an aircraft carrier and not a destroyer, as has been the tradition for generations.
Onboard the USS Ford- The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) represents many firsts – new design, new electrical system, new propulsion plant, new aircraft launch and recovery system, new radars, new elevators and more. That the world’s most expensive warship ever built has teething troubles is well known, and that’s putting it mildly. During the Ford’s first operational period between mid-2017 and mid-2018 the carrier spent only 81 days at sea, and ten times had to cut short testing periods to come home with a serious problem. The Navy and its contractors were exceptionally mum about the detailed nature of many of those problems, stung by a never-ending stream of criticism from Congress and a host of media, commentators and analysts.
The trio of guided-missile destroyers Mason, Nitze and Bainbridge, entered Chesapeake Bay and the Hampton Roads this morning just as rain and fog were clearing out. The return marked the end of a seven-month and four day cruise that saw the ships operating in the 6th and 5th Fleet areas of operation.
WASHINGTON – The US Navy’s top acquisition official was upbeat as he met with media Monday in his Pentagon office. He was just back after a quick trip to the long-troubled aircraft carrier Gerald R Ford (CVN 78), now underway off the Virginia coast on sea trials after 15 months in a shipyard.
Just completed by the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower is a “Tailored Ship’s Training Availability,” an event capped off by a “Final Evaluation Problem.” This combination of events, put on by Naval Air Forces, Atlantic and the Navy’s Afloat Training Group, tests the ship’s training level to gauge how well each ship, assigned staffs and the air wing are not only trained as a unit, but also their ability to integrate with the strike group.